The Dark and the Dead
by AwkwardlyAwesome
Summary: It's hard enough being a college student without having to fight the undead on a daily basis. But this ragtag group of vampire hunters just might have what it takes to save the world. AU, NaruHina, SasuSaku, ShikaIno, NejiTen
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. I just own this really whacked-out plot.

So, this originally started out as a sort of Twilight spoof, but it turned into something completely different. So now I STILL owe my friend the Twilight mock-fest she's been asking for... It will come, I swear!

As always, I'd appreciate any feedback!

* * *

"No, no, no, no!" Hinata mumbled to herself, shoving through the crowded club, "This cannot be happening!" She pushed another man out of the way to get to the exit, ignoring his yelp when his beer sloshed to the ground.

She hadn't wanted to come to the club, but Ino and Sakura had begged her. "It's my twenty-first birthday, Hinata-chan!" Sakura had pouted, "Please come? Just this once?" So Hinata had grudgingly agreed, and allowed the two squealing girls to drag her to the trendy new bar that had recently opened downtown.

_I should have known better_, she thought angrily, pulling her wooden stake out of her purse. _This was the kind of thing I was raised to prevent. And now they've got my friends…_

Hinata froze abruptly, closing her eyes. She was the daughter of a long line of vampire hunters. She was trained all her life to kill them and rescue innocents, so that was what she would do. So what if she was the disgraced heir? So what if her fighting skills were sub-par at best? She was a Hyuuga, damn it! She would rescue her friends!

"I can do this," she whispered, "I have to."

So Hinata ran from the club, never noticing the glowing eyes that watched her intently as she raced down the street.

* * *

"This is all your fault," Sakura said, trying to loosen the ropes that bound her wrists, "Ino-pig. If we die I'm blaming you."

"I didn't do anything!" The blonde girl wailed, "I was just flirting, like usual! How was I supposed to know that we would be kidnapped?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. She sent a critical glance around the room, trying to find a way to escape. The ropes that bound them were the first problem, but if they could twist their way free then there was a possibility that they could also manage to crawl out the window at the corner of the room. It was tiny, and Ino would probably have to climb on her shoulders to get out…

"We're going to be sacrificed!" Ino moaned, in full freak-out mode, "I'm too pretty to be a sacrifice!"

"You won't be a sacrifice," Sakura soothed, straining at the ropes, "I think cults normally like their sacrifices of the virgin variety."

Ino stopped crying as suddenly as she'd started. "I think you're right!" She exclaimed, "Oh, what a relief!" Sakura felt her slump against the chair.

"See? Your skankery did pay off," Sakura teased. Ino snorted.

"So I'll be okay. But Sakura…" she trailed off. She sounded slightly worried, but Sakura knew better. She could practically sense the smirk that appeared on her face. "I might be safe, but you…" Ino trailed off suggestively.

Sakura grimaced. "When we get out of this, I'm going to kill you," Sakura said darkly, "Now, help me get out of these ropes."

* * *

Hinata wasn't fully equipped to take on a group of vampires, so she had to make a pit stop at her apartment to stock up. She changed into more comfortable clothes, attached thigh holsters filled with wooden stakes, filled her pockets with vials of holy water. She put on her mother's crucifix as a last minute measure. Then, when she had no more time to stall, she called her cousin Neji.

Neji was the talented one in their family- that was obvious to everyone. He killed more vampires in his short life than most of the adults had in their years combined. He and Hinata weren't particularly close, but right now she needed him.

So, naturally, he wasn't picking up his phone.

"Neji," Hinata said, "I know you're not there, but I need your help. Vampires kidnapped two of my friends… The Akatsuki coven members that were stationed in town. I'm going after them, but I can't do this alone. Please call me back as soon as you can…"

Hinata sighed as she hung up the phone and stuck it in her jacket pocket. Neji was the only one in her family who would even consider helping her. Without him, she would most likely be dead.

Taking one last glance around her apartment, Hinata left, intent on rescuing her friends even without back up.

"I hope they're okay," she said to herself, "Oh, they must be so scared…"

* * *

"Damn it Ino, hurry up!" Sakura growled, trying to keep her balance. Ino was standing precariously on her shoulders, trying to reach the window.

"If you would stand still this would be a lot easier!" Ino shot back. She reached her hands up, attempting to grab onto the windowsill. Her hands fell a few inches short. "Crap, it's too far."

Sakura sneezed, and the sudden movement made both girls tumble to the floor. They lay in a tangled heap on the floor, moaning.

"Owww…" Sakura grumbled, "That hurt. Ugh, we're never going to get out of here!" Ino scrunched her face up in thought. Suddenly, she lit up.

"Oh, Sakura!" She exclaimed, "What if we wear our heels?" She waved one of her stilettos in the air.

Sakura slammed her head onto the ground in defeat. They were so going to die.

* * *

All hunters knew where the vampire covens kept their havens. "These are the places you cannot go," her father had told her when she was very small, "It would be suicide for you to try. One hunter cannot face a hundred vampires."

Hinata had never been very good at listening to her father.

The Akatsuki coven lived in an abandoned apartment complex downtown. Hinata had been told countless times during her childhood to avoid that area at all costs. "There are Akatsuki members in almost every large town in the world. The leader of the Konoha group is one of the worst, and will kill you without hesitation."

Hinata shuddered. The Akatsuki had been the bogeymen of her childhood. How was she supposed to thwart them and survive?

Her phone rang suddenly, the loud tone shrill in the silence of the night. "Hello?" she answered breathlessly, "Neji, is that you?"

"Hinata, what the hell did you get involved in?" Her cousin asked irritably, "I thought you gave up hunting."

"I did, but…" she trailed off, biting her lip, "They've got my friends. I can't just abandon them."

Neji was silent for a moment, and then she heard him sigh. "I'll help you," he said, surprising her, "As soon as I can get away. It might be too late by the time I get there."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you, cousin," she said. He took that as a goodbye and hung up.

* * *

"Okay, maybe wearing heels while trying to climb on your shoulders wasn't such a good idea…"

"Ino, I hate you."

* * *

Hinata was two blocks away from the Akatsuki hotel when she was ambushed.

"Oh, what's a pretty little thing like you wandering around the streets by yourself for?" One of the vampires asked, his grin showing pointed teeth. Hinata could tell he wasn't a particularly strong opponent- none of them were- but they were in a large group.

"Mm, she looks tasty," another hissed, and Hinata bit back a shudder, "Looks like we have ourselves a treat, boys."

They had already formed a circle around her. If Neji were here he would pull off some fabulous move, something that would be able to destroy them from all sides. But she was Hinata. She didn't have any tricks up her sleeve except a few vials of holy water.

One of them pounced. Hinata kicked him away viciously, staking him in the heart in a swift motion. He exploded into dust. She disposed of two more in a similar fashion before being overwhelmed, one grabbing her from behind. His fangs grazed her neck and she knew; this was it. She was going to die.

Someone gave a loud yell, and suddenly there was nothing holding her up anymore. She fell backwards through the dust that would have been her murderer, spotting a blotch of yellow before landing on the ground. She was up just as fast, stake in hand, marveling that she was still alive. But who had rescued her?

The answer came almost immediately. The vampires were all dark, pale creatures; a boy with bright blonde hair fought amongst them, shining like the sun in the dead of night. Hinata watched him with admiring eyes before joining the fray. He was fighting against the mob- and actually winning.

What was he?

They worked through the vampires until the last was gone in a pouf of dust. Hinata panted heavily; her rescuer hardly seemed winded.

"Hey there!" he said cheerfully, "Are you okay? It seemed like you were having a bit of trouble, so I decided to help out."

His eyes were very blue, Hinata thought absently. She shook her head. "Yes… Thank you," she managed to say, still shocked, "You saved my life. But how?"

The boy shrugged, a grin spreading across his face. "I know a lot about supernatural things," he told her, "And if you're trying to do what I think you're trying to do… Don't." Hinata frowned.

"What do you think that I'm trying to do?" She asked, "Because I can assure you that I'm doing it for a good reason." He sighed, scratching his head.

"You're going to make this complicated," he complained. He sounded annoyed, but a smile played on his lips. "Alright, then. If you're going to take on Akatsuki, then you're going to need help."

He couldn't be serious. Hinata would have laughed if the whole idea weren't so ridiculous. "You're going to help me take on Akatsuki?" she asked, "Why? It's a suicide mission. The only reason I'm doing it is because I need to rescue my friends- why would you risk your life for no reason?"

"But I do have a reason," he argued. She raised an eyebrow. "I have a friend too. Akatsuki has had him trapped for a long time. I've just been waiting for the right time to get him out." Hinata felt the blood rush from her face.

"They keep human slaves?" she whispered, horrified. The boy shook his head.

"He's not a slave," he said, and odd expression crossing his face, "And he's not human. At least, not anymore." He hesitated for a second.

"He's one of the vampires."

* * *

There wasn't much for Sakura and Ino to do after their escape attempt failed. So Ino decided to take a nap.

Sakura was a little horrified. "We're prisoners!" she exclaimed, "We might die any second! How can you sleep at a time like this?" Ino shrugged, squishing up her purse to use as a pillow.

"I'm tired," she said, laying her head down, "And we're stuck here. I don't see what the problem is."

Sakura shook her head. "You're worse than Shikamaru," she muttered. Ino didn't reply- she was already asleep.

Sakura tried to formulate a plan. There weren't a lot of options, of course… Unless they could fight their way out, but two scrawny girls against grown men?

She almost laughed. They were doomed.

The door to their cell opened suddenly, and Sakura sprung into action. She grabbed one of Ino's stiletto heels and threw it with all her might. She would've hit her mark (she had surprisingly good aim), but the man… Caught it.

His face was almost expressionless, but something about the curve of his lips made her think that he was amused. He was almost painfully handsome, his hair an inky black and his eyes just as dark, contrasting remarkably against marble skin.

She would've been transfixed if she weren't so pissed off.

"Who are you, and what the hell gives you the right to hold us here against our will?" Sakura demanded, standing up to her full height. "You better let us go right now, or I swear the other shoe is going straight up your ass!" His lips twitched again.

"I'm not the one who locked you up," he said softly. Sakura nearly melted. His voice was as perfect as his face. "In fact, I'm here to help you. That would be a little hard if you carried through with your threat."

She was uncertain. "But why would you help us?" she asked, confused. His hands clutched into fists.

"There's someone here I need to kill," he said quietly, "But to do that I'll need a distraction. That will be you." She gaped at him. He took her hand and pressed something into it, giving her a brief glimpse of the burns on his palm.

"He looks like me," the boy continued, "That's how you'll know him. When they bring you to him, use this to defend yourself. He'll be so surprised that I'll be able to strike." He squeezed her hand, his eyes urgent and haunted. "Do you understand?"

"No," Sakura whispered, "I'm so confused. But I think the only way we'll survive is if I do what you say." She smiled at him uncertainly. "Right?"

He nodded, and then walked out the door, his footsteps eerily silent. She heard the door close and the locks latch, and only then did she look at the object in her hand. She stared at it for a long time; Ino was the one who finally disturbed her.

"How long was I asleep for?" the blonde asked with a yawn, then frowned, "Sakura… Where did you get the cross from?"

Sakura stared at her helplessly. "You mean from who," she corrected softly, her green eyes wide and confused, "And… I really don't know."

* * *

"No way," Hinata said flatly, "Get out of here." The boy groaned.

"He's not bad!" he argued, "I mean, he still has his soul and everything. He hasn't killed anyone yet."

Hinata hesitated. It was true that vampires didn't loose their souls until they actually took a human life, but the self-control it took not to kill someone was near impossible. Vampires who still had their souls had a chance to become human again, but only if they could destroy the one who turned them.

"He's been trying to kill his sire," the blonde boy continued desperately, "But Itachi's really strong. I don't know how much longer Sasuke can hold out without breaking." His eyes were scared. It was obviously that he was worried about his friend, and that made Hinata's heart melt. She had always been the soft one in the family.

"Alright," she said, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach when he grinned brightly at her, "I'll help you. But first, I think I should know your name."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the boy said with a tinge of pride, "And thank you. Really."

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata," she replied, noticing the way his eyes widened at her name. So he'd heard of the Hyuugas, then. Interesting. "And the way I remember it, you helped me first."

"Okay then, Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto said with a mischievous smile that made her weak in the knees, "Let's go kick some vampire ass. We've got friends to save."

He grabbed her hand and raced down the street.

* * *

"Come with me," a pale-faced man told Ino and Sakura. The two girls stood up, watching the man warily. He stared at them with a vacant expression. Sakura fingered the cross in her pocket, taking comfort in the odd gift.

The servant led them into a large room. It looked like it had once been the lobby or meeting room, but the building's disrepair made it difficult to say. The only piece of furniture was a grubby couch, made even shabbier looking by the impossibly handsome man that was lounging on it.

"Well, hello," he said to the girls, his voice smooth and seductive. Sakura heard Ino stifle a gasp. "It's lovely to meet you both."

"It would have been lovelier if we hadn't been forced here," Sakura said quietly. She heard a snort from corner of the room. A brief inspection showed the boy from before, with his tortured eyes, standing in the corner of the room. The older man (who, Sakura realized, shared a remarkable resemblance to her mystery man) glanced at him with a smirk.

"Something funny, little brother?" He asked lightly. Sakura frowned. Brother?

"No, Itachi," he said, his face perfectly expressionless. She saw Ino look at them both in confusion, then felt her hand reach over to grab hers. Ino was scared. Sakura squeezed her hand lightly. _I'm scared too._

"I suppose you do wish to know why you're here," Itachi mused, stepping closer. The girls moved closer together. "You see, my kind has a certain… diet." He smirked, fangs suddenly visible. "And I prefer my blood fresh." They gaped at him, terrified.

A few things happened at once.

Sakura threw the cross at Itachi, cringing in horror when it hit his face and began to burn away the flesh. The boy in the corner leaped at him, growling like some feral animal. The door to the room was thrown open and Naruto and Hinata charged in, stakes and holy water at the ready.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. The boy was distracted for a split second, but that was all it took. Itachi threw his brother over his shoulder. He crashed into the wall violently, and Naruto ran to his side. Hinata threw a vial of holy water, but it missed, splashing over the couch instead of her intended target.

"Do you think you pathetic little creatures can stop me?!" Itachi hissed, his eyes turning red. He picked Hinata up by her throat; she gasped for air, barely noticing when her stake tumbled out of her hand and rolled across the floor.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi spat, "You and your friends will all die very painfully for this, I assure you-" A queer look came over his face. Hinata barely had time to react when he collapsed into a pile of dust. Ino stood there with Hinata's stake in her hand. Everyone stared at her in shock.

"What?" she asked defensively, "I watch Buffy!"

Sasuke began to laugh; a hysterical, desperate laugh that made Naruto frown. "I've been trying to kill him for two years," he said, "And this group of misfits manage it in less than a day."

"So…" Naruto said hesitantly, "Does this mean you're human again? Since Itachi's dead, and all?" Sasuke frowned, and put his hand over his heart. A slow, disbelieving smile spread across his face.

"My heart's beating," he said softly, "I think that's a good sign." Naruto whooped in joy, pulling Sasuke into a hug. The boy was too amazed to protest.

Hinata limped over to her two friends. "Are you alright?" she asked, "I was so worried."

"We're fine," Sakura assured her, "Just very, very confused." Ino nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and can we get out of here? Old dusty buildings are so not good for my pores." Ino flounced off, her two friends staring at her in wonder.

"She doesn't let anything get to her, does she?" Naruto asked, walking up to the two girls. Sasuke trailed behind him, his hand still over his heart. Hinata smiled at them both.

"No, she really doesn't," she said, before smiling up at Naruto shyly, "I want to thank you. I never could have gotten here without you." To everyone's surprise, he flushed slightly.

"Yeah, well… we didn't do much, in the end," he said sheepishly, "But I think we made a pretty good distraction, didn't we?" Hinata giggled.

Sakura smiled at the two. She had some pressing questions for them both (like, what the HELL just happened?!) but they could wait. It wasn't often that Hinata actually talked to a boy. Her gaze moved over to Sasuke. He'd gained some color in his cheeks and had a finger on his pulse, as if he was expecting his heartbeat to just suddenly disappear.

"I think this belongs to you," Sakura said, holding up the crucifix that he had given her. He stared at it with an unreadable expression before shaking his head.

"You keep it," he said. His voice was low and a little rough, a little less perfect than before, but she found she preferred it immensely. It was more human this way.

Sakura touched the cross lightly. "Okay," she said softly, "Thank you." He shrugged, as if he didn't care, but his eyes never left hers.

Ino stomped back inside the room. "Are you guys coming or what?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips, "Because I am not going out there alone. And I want some answers!" she pointed at Hinata and Naruto. "From all of you!"

Hinata sighed. "It's almost morning," she said, "So why don't you all come to my apartment and we can make breakfast? We can clear some things up as we eat." She looked around at everyone. "Does that sound all right?"

"I haven't eaten in two years," Sasuke said wryly, "So yes, that sounds fine." Sakura laughed.

"Do you have ramen?" Naruto asked hopefully, "Because I really, really like ramen." Sasuke smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ramen is not a breakfast food, idiot." Naruto pouted.

They started to make their was out the door before Ino paused, turning to Hinata.

"Hey before we go outside," she said, "While I was out there, I think I saw your cousin waving around a battle ax. What the hell is up with that?" Hinata just sighed, and pulled out her phone.

She was never going to hear the end of this one.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, okay... I caved. This was originally a one-shot but I got such great feedback (thanks, guys!) that I decided to make it a story of sorts. I don't really know what's going to happen... But I'll just roll with it. Hopefully it won't be too much of a mess..

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto... But I don't. It's very depressing.

* * *

The girl walked down the street quickly, her breath coming in quick puffs as she tried not to panic. Someone (_something_, her mind whispered traitorously) was following her; she had to get away, or find a crowded area to hide in. But the street was completely empty. It was just her, and… it.

The footsteps from behind her started to move faster. She chocked back a sob and began to run, whispered prayers falling like stones from her lips. The tears blurred her vision as she turned the corner, and promptly barreled into someone. He grabbed her arms to keep her from falling.

"Please!" she gasped, "I'm being followed. Help me!" The pale man smiled at her kindly.

"Don't worry, dear," he said, his voice soothing and hypnotic, "I'll look after you. There's a shortcut down this alley to the main road; we'll get you a taxi there."

She smiled at him wetly, eyes still dripping tears. "Oh, thank you!" she said with a relieved sigh, "I was afraid he was going to catch up to me." The man smiled. She just had the time to look up at his slitted eyes before he pushed her up against the alley wall with a wild expression.

"But he did catch up with you," he said smoothly, fangs visible in the dim light.

There was nobody around to hear her scream. But nobody could have helped her, anyways.

* * *

Hinata's apartment was small. Normally, there wasn't enough room for her and her two friends, let alone the six people that were crammed around her kitchen table. But somehow she found she liked the lack of space; it gave her home a comfy, warm feeling that it had never seemed to have before.

Or maybe she just liked the fact that she was crammed tightly next to the hot blonde boy she had met earlier that night. Yeah, that could be it too.

Said blonde boy was currently devouring the instant ramen she had found in the back of her pantry at an almost alarming speed. Neji, who was sitting on his other side, looked a little ill.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, shooting his friend an annoyed look, "Slow down. That's disgusting." The boy grinned sheepishly.

"Eh he he, sorry," he said, not looking sorry at all, "I was pretty hungry." Neji, who still looked a little green, shook his head.

"I know Hinata's side of the story," he said suddenly, his voice ringing with authority, "But we know very little about the two of you. Explain, please." The two boys exchanged a look. They must have come to a silent conclusion because Naruto set down his ramen (a bit mournfully, Hinata noticed) and started to speak.

"Sasuke and I were friends growing up," the boy started. He then frowned. "Well, kinda friends. It was more like we hated each other's guts but were always stuck together because our parents were close. Anyways, Sasuke's family was a famous demon-hunting family, considered to be just as good as the Hyuuga clan."

Neji's eyes widened. "The Uchiha," he said quietly. Both boys nodded somberly.

"Yeah. Well, Sasuke's older brother Itachi was the best of the best. There was no contest. But then…" Naruto trailed off, wincing.

"He became a vampire," Sasuke said hollowly, "And he killed my entire family." Everyone in the room became quiet.

"Except you," Sakura said softly, "He turned you." The former vampire nodded stiffly.

"So Sasuke became a vampire," Naruto said hurriedly, eager to finish the painful story, "And he was kept against his will with Itachi. He abstained from human blood and for the past two years we've been trying to kill the bastard, so he'd be back to normal." Naruto shrugged lightly and went back to his ramen. "And that's that."

Neji frowned. It was obvious to Hinata that there where still more questions running through his mind, but for some reason he kept them to himself. He stood up stiffly, nodding to Hinata and the others before walking out of the apartment without another word.

"What does he have stuck up his ass?" Naruto asked. Ino snickered suddenly.

"Probably his battle axe," she said with a smirk, and the two blondes high-fived over the table. Hinata smiled in spite of herself.

"It was conspicuously absent," she said hesitantly, causing Sakura to giggle, "But he's always like that. It's just his nature. My whole family is like that, actually." Her smile wavered. Thinking of her family always made her eyes burn, like they wanted to cry but had run out of tears.

"Well, good riddance then!" Ino said flippantly, "Who needs them? You've got us, and we're a hell of a lot nicer than they are." Sakura nodded in agreement.

"We're your family now, Hinata-chan," the girl said warmly, pulling Hinata into a hug, "So don't worry about them. They don't know what they're missing."

"Yeah!" Naruto contributed. Sasuke whacked him on the back of the head.

"Idiot," he said, "They weren't including us." Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a wince.

"We can, though," Sakura said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. "Include you, I mean. If you want." She felt the blush rise in her cheeks. "I mean, everyone needs a family, right? Even if it's just a family of friends."

Everyone continued to stare at her. She was just beginning to realize how completely stupid that sounded when Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah," he said softly, that ghost of a smile on his lips, "I guess that's okay." Naruto whooped.

"I knew there was a reason I liked all of you," he said cheerfully, "Anyone who can form an emotional connection to this ice block is good in my book. And you made me ramen," he added seriously, grinning at Hinata, "So you're basically my favorite person ever." His smile softened. "It'd be nice to have a family again, right teme?"

Sasuke grunted, which they took for agreement. For some reason it made Sakura almost giddily happy.

"'And so a fellowship is born'," Ino intoned seriously. She frowned at the incredulous looks they gave her. "What? That's what Shikamaru would say if he were here!" Sakura rubbed her forehead as if staving of a headache.

"I'm going to kill him and Chouji for letting you attend Sci-Fi Saturday," she growled. Ino shrugged.

"It's Ino-Shiki-Chou tradition, Forehead," she said lightly. Sasuke and Naruto looked confused.

"I don't think we realized just what kind of "family" we're getting into," Naruto mumbled to his friend as they watched the girls bicker, "But I think they're going to be pretty interesting." Sasuke nodded, his gaze following the pink-haired girl who was starting to throw bits of her cereal at Ino.

"Yeah," he said, his voice soft, "Very interesting."

* * *

The new "family" came to a quick realization: Naruto and Sasuke didn't have a place to live.

"Now, Sasuke I can understand," Sakura said, "But what about you, Naruto? What have you been doing these past two years?" The boy just grinned disarmingly.

"Well, Sakura-chan," he said, throwing an arm over her shoulders, "I've been traveling. You see, I thought that I could find a cure, or a weapon. Something that would help Sasuke." His eyes slid over to Ino. "If I had known I would just have to sick the cheerleader on Itachi then things would have been a lot easier."

"Hey!" Ino said indignantly, "I'm not a cheerleader!" Sakura snickered.

"That's only because you didn't make the team," she said. The blonde blushed.

"So where are you going to live?" Hinata asked quietly. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance.

"No idea," Naruto said, "But don't worry, we'll figure something out. We'll most likely stay in Konoha, too, since this is vampire central, and most of the demon-hunting families have retired."

"There are other hunter families?" Ino asked, curious. Sasuke shrugged.

"There used to be," he said, "But like Naruto said, most of them have died out or retired. The Hyuuga and Uchiha were the only ones left." Hinata nodded.

"Some work in secret, too," she added, "Because our families are so well-known we get attacked more often. The other families, if they do actually exist, work from the shadows, so the vampires don't know who hit them."

Sakura smiled. "That's actually very smart," she said, "That's what we should do." Everyone stared at her, confused. She rolled her eyes. "Now that I know that these creatures exist I'm not just going to be a sitting duck and wait for them to get me. Even if we don't actively hunt them I want to know how to defend myself."

"Yeah!" Ino nodded emphatically, "We should sign up for a martial arts class. Then we can kick vampire ass!" Hinata smiled.

"It would be nice to learn something other than my family's fighting style," Hinata said shyly, "I've never been that good at it."

Naruto shook his head wonderingly. "You three are unbelievable," he said, his face awe-struck, "Most girls would freak out after what you've been through, but you guys… You're embracing it. That's insane." He ran a hand through his hair. "A martial arts class is a good idea, though. Even if there weren't demons running around the city."

"So it's settled, then," Sakura said, "We'll start taking a class and you guys will look for an apartment. I guess you can stay with Hinata, for now…" she trailed off, looking at her friend, "If that's okay with you?"

Hinata nodded. "It's fine," she said, "I have a pull-out couch you can share." Naruto frowned.

"Sharing with him?" he asked. They glared at each other. "We are finding an apartment soon!"

"Agreed," Sasuke said, "I don't want any of your stupidity rubbing off on me." Naruto sputtered, unable to think of a comeback.

"Shit!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed, "It's almost eight. I need to leave or I'll miss my class. Tsunade-sensei would kill me! Bye, guys!" She waved as she raced out the door.

"We need to leave too, Hinata, or we'll miss psychology with Ibiki-sensei," Ino said. She turned the boys. "Will you two be alright here by yourselves?"

"Of course we will!" Naruto said cheerfully, "What trouble could we possibly get into?" Hinata sighed.

"Here's my spare key," she said, placing it on the table, "In case you want to go out. Just be careful." The two girls grabbed their bags and left, sparing the boys one last worried glance before they shut the door. Naruto turned to his friend with a manic grin on his face.

"Ready to go out in the sunlight for the first time in two years?" the blonde asked. Sasuke smiled faintly.

"Let's go, dobe," he said.

* * *

Hinata and Ino barely made it to class on time. They had just collapsed in their seats when Ibiki walked in, his eyes sweeping the classroom for any wayward students. He frowned.

"Yamanaka!" he barked, causing Ino to jump, "Where's Nara?" The girl frowned, her eyes landing on Shikamaru's empty seat.

"I don't know, sir," she said, "I haven't seen him in a few days." He nodded gruffly and went back to checking roll.

"I'm sure he's fine," Hinata said, patting her friend on the arm kindly, "He probably just slept through his alarm clock again."

Ino smiled faintly. "You're probably right," she said, which seemed to pacify Hinata. But looking at Shikamaru's empty seat, Ino couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

* * *

Sasuke closed his eyes as the sun beat down on his face. It was the thing he'd missed the most, those two years when he was stuck in the permanent darkness- but now it didn't matter. Because he was alive (_alivealivealive_, his mind whispered, the sound in time to his heartbeats), and Itachi was gone for good.

He was finally free.

"Heeeey, Sasuke!" Naruto called, ignoring the dirty looks the people on the street gave him, "Check this out." He thrust the day's newspaper in his friend's face. Sasuke skimmed the front page quickly, before his eyes finally settled on the article Naruto had meant.

**GIRL, 18, FOUND DEAD OF ANIMAL ATTACK**

Naruto's eyes glittered dangerously. "I already read the article," he said, his voice soft, "She was bitten. On the neck. The vampires in Konoha know better than to leave their meals lying around for the authorities to find."

"It's a message," Sasuke said hoarsely, "Someone's coming for us." Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, but who?" he asked, "Akatsuki would be the best bet, considering we killed Itachi, but we've also made a lot of enemies besides them in our lives. It could be anyone."

"We do have the element of surprise," Sasuke said, his mind starting to work, "We have two trained vampire hunters. Ino and Sakura have a lot of potential, so we'll work with them. And then we have…" he trailed off before smirking, "Whatever the hell you are."

Naruto laughed. "Right," he said, "I'll call some of my contacts, too… Someone will know what we're up against." He nodded his head decisively. "Right! Let's stock up on supplies while its still daytime. I was thinking we could also cook the girls dinner tonight… As a thank you, you know?"

Sasuke nodded absently. They did owe a lot to those girls. Without them, he'd still be a starving vampire in service to Itachi. And besides that, they gave them a place to stay while they got back on their feet.

Sasuke took one last glance at the paper before throwing it in the trash. He could only hope he wasn't dragging them into anything dangerous.

Because something was coming. And he had no idea what it was.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto... Sad story.

* * *

Hinata soon discovered that it was very difficult for someone of her social ineptitude to share a tiny apartment with two guys. Especially since they were both amazingly attractive.

Sasuke wasn't too much of a problem. He was quiet and thoughtful and even cooked breakfast a few times. But mostly, he stayed out of Hinata's way, only interacting with her during meals or whenever Sakura and Ino came over to chat.

Naruto, on the other hand… He was beginning to be an issue. Not that he wasn't an excellent roommate- he was, even if he was a little messier and a little louder than anyone else Hinata had ever known. No, the problem lay with Hinata.

Or, more specifically, Hinata's hormones.

"You like him!" Sakura said teasingly, nudging Hinata with her shoulder. The girl blushed heavily, the color especially noticeable with her pale skin.

"I can't help it," Hinata mumbled, her eyes on the floor, "He's sweet and kind and brave. It's hard not to like him." Ino smirked.

"I bet the fact that he walks around your apartment shirtless has absolutely nothing to do with your little crush, right Hinata?" the blonde drawled, her eyes wicked as she stared at them over the top of her magazine. Hinata moaned and hid her face with her hands.

"Abs!" she said mournfully, "They will be my downfall." The other girls cracked up, laughing harder when Ino snorted hysterically.

"You know, I think I would get more distracted by Sasuke," Sakura said thoughtfully when the giggles died down, "But I guess Naruto is more your type. You'd be cute together." Hinata sighed wistfully.

The door to the bathroom opened suddenly and Naruto walked out, toweling his hair dry and wearing only a pair of jeans. Hinata groaned and collapsed onto the couch."

"Hey, hey!" Naruto said, alarmed, "What's wrong?!" Sakura giggled.

"She's, um, sick!" she said quickly, patting Hinata on the head, "She'll feel better after a night's rest. Naruto nodded, accepting this, and then walked into the kitchen. The girls stared after him quietly.

Ino broke the silence. "You know, he does have really nice abs," the blonde said absently before smiling brightly at Hinata, "Sweetie, you're doomed."

Hinata just sighed into the couch cushion. That wasn't anything she didn't already know.

* * *

Ino had known Shikamaru her entire life. He'd ignored her before, when she was being to pushy or annoying or gossiped too much, but it had never been like this.

"Hey, Shikamaru, it's me," she said to his answering machine, "Listen, I don't know what it was I did to upset you but I'm really, really sorry. I haven't heard from you in almost two weeks, and you haven't been in class, and I'm starting to really worry. Please call me back, okay? I… I miss you."

Ino hung up the phone with a heavy heart. She wasn't surprised to see Sakura leaning against the counter when she turned around. "Are you alright?" he friend asked softly, her eyes bright with concern. Ino just shook her head.

"I think he's really mad, Sakura," Ino confessed, blinking back tears, "And the worst thing is that I have no idea why!" She choked back a sob, and Sakura pulled her into a hug.

"Everything will work out," she soothed, "Don't worry. Just give him time."

"I have," she sniffed, "More time than I usually do. I don't think he's ever going to forgive me."

It struck Ino as cruel irony that this was the most upset she had ever been about a boy in her entire life. She knew the day would eventually come. She just never thought that the boy she would be crying about would be Shikamaru.

* * *

Sakura was going out on a date with Sasuke.

Okay. It wasn't really a date (even if she did like to pretend it was). It was more like Sasuke going with Sakura to see every martial arts studio in town to help her choose which one she would like to start taking lessons at. So far he had shot down two, one that she had really liked; the instructor was extremely cute. He had said something about incorrect stances and made her leave almost immediately, but she did notice him glare viciously when the instructor told her goodbye.

Not that she minded. It was the little things like petty jealousy that gave Sakura hope.

She had finally convinced the former vampire to take a break for lunch ("There's a patio so we can eat outdoors," she had said, knowing how he loved to be out in the daylight after years of the dark, "And ramen isn't even on the menu!"), so they stopped at a little barbecue place a few blocks away from the next dojo was. Sakura found she was enjoying herself more than she expected, and she thought Sasuke was too; he had even smiled a few times. Well, once. And it might have been a smirk, but it counted.

Sakura smiled happily. Nothing was going to ruin this.

"Welcome to Asuma's, how may I help- Oh shit!"

Except this.

Chouji stood by their table in full waiter regalia, staring at Sakura with a horrified expression. He started to back away slowly, his arms out in a placating gesture, but Sakura stood up from the table and dragged him back, forcing him to sit in an empty chair. Her face was scrunched into a dangerous expression, her green eyes glittering fiercely, and Sasuke almost felt sorry for the poor boy that had incurred Sakura's wrath.

"You," she hissed, eyes lit with a manic light, "Have a lot of explaining to do." Chouji gulped.

"Ah, S-Sakura, I'm sure I don't know what you mean," he said. Sakura slammed her fist onto the table suddenly, the sound causing Chouji to yelp.

"Last night I found Ino crying in the kitchen," Sakura began conversationally, "Weird, right? You've known Ino as long as I have; she doesn't cry. She didn't when she broke her arm in the fourth grade. She didn't when she found out that she didn't make the cheerleading squad after months of practicing. So what could be bad enough to make her break down now?"

Chouji stared at the tablecloth with a pained expression. "Shikamaru," he said softly. Sakura nodded.

"Yes, Shikamaru!" she said angrily, "And for God knows what reason he's decided not to talk to her anymore. It's killing her, Chouji, and I expect you to talk to him and make things right."

"This is a difficult position you put me in," he said, wringing his hands together, "The only thing I can say is that Shikamaru has his reasons. I don't expect you to believe me, but he does."

Sasuke looked at Sakura with an unreadable expression. "Ino's a good person," he said suddenly, "She doesn't deserve to be treated badly." His eyes met Chouji's and he smirked dangerously, seeming more like a blood-sucking demon of the night than ever, "If you don't talk to your friend than I will personally make sure that you both regret it."

The look had its desired effect; Chouji gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "I'll… I'll talk to him," he said finally, "But I can't make any promises." Sakura beamed at him.

"That's all we can ask for," she said sweetly, though her eyes were still murderous. Chouji stood up and gave them an odd look.

"You two deserve each other," he mumbled darkly, walking away faster than needed. Sakura grinned at Sasuke.

"We make a good team," she said, her gaze softening, "Thank you." He shrugged.

"It's no problem," he said, "Besides, it's fun to scare the shit out of people every once in a while." Sakura laughed.

They weren't surprised when a new waiter came to take their order. In fact, it was kind of expected.

* * *

Hinata woke up gasping. She looked around her room wildly, searching for the creature that had haunted her dreams, before collapsing back against her pillow. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep for a while. Not after that dream.

Opening her door quietly, she tiptoed into the kitchen, not wanting to wake her two tenants. She moved around the room with a deliberate silence, gathering all the materials for tea.

"You don't have to be quiet on our account," Naruto said from behind her, causing her to emit an embarrassing squeak. She whirled around, face red, to see him leaning against the doorframe with a grin on his face.

And shirtless. Of course.

"I didn't know you were awake," she said breathlessly, "But I still should be quiet for Uchiha-san." Naruto snorted.

"Him?" he said, "He could sleep through a monsoon. You don't have to worry about disturbing him." Hinata nodded, relieved. "What are you doing up so late, anyways? You're normally out by now."

"I had a nightmare," she confessed, "Would you like some tea?" He nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. She grabbed another mug from the cabinet.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, watching her, "Sometimes that helps." Hinata put the water to boil.

"Well, I was being chased by something," she started, "I don't know what. But it was very scary, and it seemed like no matter how fast I ran I couldn't get away. It finally cornered me, but it was so dark that all I could see were its eyes." She shuddered. "They were red, and they glowed. They got closer, and closer… and then I woke up." She smiled faintly. "It seems silly now."

"It's not," Naruto said softly, "But it was just a dream. If you remember that then it won't scare you." Hinata smiled again, then handed him his tea.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said, "You were right. I feel better now." He grinned at her and stood up. Hinata frowned.

"Did you get a tattoo?" she asked. He froze.

"What?" he turned to face her. She pointed to his stomach. An odd spiraling shape was inked onto his stomach, looking too old and weathered to be new. But Hinata would have recognized it.

She was, after all, in the habit of spending as much time as possible staring at Naruto's torso.

"That…" Naruto gulped, all the color rushing from his face, "Um… It's henna!" He said, laughing weakly. "Yeah, henna. It'll wash right off. That's all. Um, goodnight, Hinata!" He raced out of the room, almost spilling his tea in his hurry to escape.

Hinata frowned. Naruto was a terrible liar; she knew right away that he was not telling the truth about the mysterious tattoo. It was too odd a pattern for a henna artist, anyways. It looked almost like…

Like a seal.

Tea sitting on the kitchen table forgotten, Hinata grabbed a pencil and a scrap of paper, trying to copy the tattoo from memory as best she could. She would figure out what Naruto was hiding.

Even if he didn't want her to.

* * *

**A/N: **Heeey, guys! So that's chapter three. I'm sorry if it wasn't as interesting as the others; this chapter was basically setting stuff up for later. The next chapter is kind of going to be a filler, too, except there will be lots of Sasuke/Sakura cuteness going on. And Neji will make an appearance. I love writing Neji. Or, I like writing other characters making fun of Neji. Is that mean?

Anyways, I'd really really REALLY love it if everyone reviewed. I'm sure that would be make me crank the chapters out faster.... I'm just sayin'.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No. Just... No.

Sooo... I updated again. Whoa. I'm on a roll with this story. I'd like to have more reviews, buuut... I'm nice. Lucky you.

* * *

Sasuke had been right about Ino and Sakura; they were both naturally talented fighters. They came home with Hinata every Tuesday and Friday beaming and covered with sweat, eager to explain and sometimes practice (usually on Naruto) all that they had learned.

They were grasping everything fast, but Sasuke was still worried. Would they be able to handle themselves if faced with a real vampire?

Would they survive a run-in with the creature that had been stalking and killing young girls in the night?

Sasuke wasn't so sure. So that left him one option.

He had to get them to the next level.

* * *

"Soooo… what is it we're learning, exactly?" Ino asked, looking at their surroundings nervously. They were sitting in a circle at an abandoned tennis court in the middle of a local park. The gate was locked, but it hadn't been too difficult to climb the chain-link fence, despite how Ino complained about it ruining her manicure.

"We are going to teach you how to use chakra!" Naruto said eagerly. Hinata smiled slightly. His enthusiasm was contagious.

"What is chakra?" Sakura asked, her eyes glittering with curiosity.

"It's energy," Sasuke explained, getting to his feet. Naruto stood too, eyes shining with undisguised excitement. "When used properly, it can greatly increase the strength of your attacks. It can be channeled into different parts of the body to make you stronger." He nodded at Naruto. They both tensed briefly- and attacked.

Sakura gasped. The boys moved fast, inhumanely so, their movements fluid and surprisingly graceful. Hinata, who had been trained all her life, could tell just how amazing they were; she wouldn't be surprised if they could beat Neji, who was the strongest fighter she had ever known. She watched them, memorizing attack patterns and strikes for later use.

It was interesting, she mused. The two boys had drastically different fighting styles, but they seemed to compliment each other. Naruto fought wildly and unpredictably, all instinct and fire. Sasuke was more calculated, his every movement attesting to some thought out purpose. Yet she could easily see the two working together in a fight, keeping each other in balance.

They were a team, Hinata realized with a smile, they were better when the other was around to keep them in line.

Naruto charged at Sasuke with a bellowing battle cry. The dark-haired boy swiftly sidestepped him, sticking his leg out in the last minute. Naruto tripped with a comical yelp, the fist he had drawn back to punch Sasuke with hitting the ground with a loud crack. Sakura gasped, thinking it was bone that made the noise, but when he drew back and lifted his fist it was fine. Absolutely fine.

But that was impossible.

"Sakura! Look!" Ino pointed to the ground while Naruto staggered up. Right where Naruto had fallen there was a perfect indentation of a fist. Sakura shook her head, amazed.

Impossible!

"That was a cheap trick," Naruto said to Sasuke, rubbing his wrist with a frown on his face. The other boy smirked.

"Hn. You're just mad that I won."

"You wouldn't have won if you weren't such a big fat cheater!"

"I am not a cheater."

"Yes you are! Cheater cheater pumpkin eater!"

"Guys!" Ino said, putting her hands on her hips in a surprisingly intimidating gesture, "Shut up and teach me how to do that." She pointed a manicured finger at the imprint of Naruto's fist. The blonde grinned.

"Right!" he said, walking towards the girls, "The first thing you need to know is that it's all about control…"

Hinata smiled while she watched the two boys explain the theory behind chakra control. They were surprisingly attentive teachers, answering questions patiently and showing examples. It was a stark difference from her own education, where her teachers were stiff and expected her to get everything perfect on the first try.

Hinata smiled wryly. And they wondered why I had trouble understanding things, she thought.

"It's time to practice," Sasuke said. He walked in front of Sakura, who looked at him cautiously. "Try to focus the chakra into your first and punch me."

"What?!" she squawked. Sasuke smirked.

"It's not like you can hurt me," he said, his voice slightly condescending, "So just do it." Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"Fine!" she huffed, curling her hand into a fist, "But don't say I didn't-" her punch connected with his chest, throwing him five feet backwards. "Warn you," Sakura finished, her eyes wide and horrified, "Oh my God, are you alright?!"

Sasuke stared at her in shock as he pulled himself to his feet. "Fine," he said, his voice a higher pitch that usual, "That was… very good." Naruto laughed hysterically.

"Holy crap, Sasuke!" he gasped, "You just got owned by a girl! Bahahaha!" Sasuke shrugged, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.

"I wouldn't be one to talk, Naruto," Ino said, cracking her knuckles, "Because now it's your turn, and I have a lot of misplaced aggression." She grinned evilly.

Naruto gulped.

* * *

"You know, even if Ino didn't have the instantaneous control that Sakura had, she has some real potential," Hinata mused later that night as they walked into her apartment. Sasuke nodded in agreement. Naruto just pouted.

"Yeah, yeah, she has a hell of a punch," he mumbled, walking into the kitchen to get ice for his black eye, "I just wish she wouldn't have aimed for my face." Hinata giggled, dropping her keys onto the counter. The light on the answering machine was blinking. She pressed the button absently.

_"You have three new messages,"_ the voice said mechanically, _"M__essage one:"_

_"Hinata!!"_ Hanabi's voice filled the air brightly, causing her to smile. Hanabi had been a very quiet, sullen child growing up, but high school had done her well, making her the bright, confident child that Hinata had always wished she could be. She suspected it had something to do with a certain boy in her class, Konohamaru, but her sister denied that. _"You would not believe what happened today! I went to the training grounds last night to, you know, train, and guess who I saw? Neji! That's not really surprising, but he was with a girl! A non-Hyuuga! That must have been like the Neji-version of a date! Well anyways, I've got to go, school and stuff, miss-you-love-you-bye!"_

Hinata and Naruto laughed. "Your cousin has a girlfriend?" he asked. Hinata shrugged lightly.

"Apparently!" she said with a smile, "I never knew he had it in him." Sasuke snorted.

_"Message two:"_

_"Hey, Naruto!"_ The boy in question froze. _"It's Jiraiya. I got your message, and just wanted to tell you that I'll be in town soon, and we can take care of your little problem. You're lucky. I was heading in that direction, anyways. There are a lot of good hot springs in Konoha, and I need to do some serious research for my next novel. Later."_

Sasuke frowned. "You gave Jiraiya Hinata's home number?" he asked. Naruto shrugged lightly, his eyes troubled. "What problem is he helping you out with?"

"It's nothing," Naruto said softly, "Just chill, okay?"

_"Message three:"_

Heavy breathing was all that they heard. Then someone chuckled, the noise escalating into a wild, manic laugh that sent shivers running down Hinata's spine. Finally is stopped.

_"Found you,"_ a voice hissed. There was a click to show the line went dead. They stared at the answering machine with expressions of varying horror.

"Shit," Hinata said, surprising them both. Naruto chuckled darkly, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"My thoughts exactly," he said, meeting Sasuke's eyes over her head, "Who the hell was that?"

Sasuke had a sinking suspicion that they would soon find out.

_"End of messages. To repeat your messages, press one…"_

* * *

**A/N: **So, how was that? I know I promised Neji but i couldn't really fit him in; I did mention him though! And yes, his non-Hyuuga date person was Tenten (who else would let someone take them on a date to train?).

The next few chapters are going to be a little bit different. They'll be much longer, for one, and will be written entirely in one character's point of few. The next chapter will definitely be Ino's. There will be some revelations regarding Shikamaru in that one... does anyone have any guesses? Hmmm???

Oh, and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to reply to reviews right here... But I do want to thank Raye Sun and Shizaku-chan for reviewing last chapter. :)


	5. Ino the Vampire Slayer

Disclaimer: Don't own it!!

Okay, these next three chapters are going to be a little different. This one is entirely in Ino's point of view, which was a lot of fun. The next one will be Sakura's, and then Hinata's. Those chapters are going to take a little longer to get out, but hopefully this one will tide you over until then. After all, this is like my second update in that many days. So no complaining! Haha.

* * *

When Ino was a freshmen in high school she tried out for the cheerleading squad.

It wasn't simply a whim, or a spur-of-the-moment idea; she had wanted to be a cheerleader for years, and figured she was up to the job since she had been in gymnastics for most of her life. So she spent all summer working hard and practicing, only to find that all the skill in the world wasn't good enough.

"It's not that you wouldn't make a good cheerleader," the captain, a pretty redhead named Karin, said, "It's just that… well, you honestly wouldn't fit in with the team. Do you understand?"

Ino did. Freshmen year was her awkward phase, when she wore braces and had her hair shorn short and still didn't have any curves to speak of. The cheerleaders were all glamorous, and beautiful; they didn't want to have a kid that looked like a pre-teen boy on the squad, no matter how good she was.

It was unfair. But it was life.

Nothing Sakura or her parents said made her feel better. She spent all of Saturday night holed up in her room, sniffling and refusing to look at herself in the mirror. She was planning on skipping dinner, too, and was just wondering if the Skittles she had in her purse would be enough to keep her from passing out until breakfast when she heard something smack against her window.

She peered out through the glass and there was Shikamaru, pizza box in one hand and a pebble in the other. He looked like he was about to throw it again when he saw her and dropped it to the ground. She opened her window.

"I thought you were too lazy to throw rock's at girl's windows," she taunted, "Let alone to actually walk to their house." He rolled his eyes.

"Just open the door, Ino," she heard him grumble. She shrugged and walked downstairs.

He did bring pizza, after all.

That wasn't all he brought. He set down the pizza box on the coffee table and pulled out some DVD's. Ino groaned.

"I am not watching any of your weird sci-fi crap," she told him sternly, "Even if you did bring me pizza." He flicked her an annoyed glance.

"You'll like this one," he said vaguely, "Just trust me, okay?" She sat on the couch with a scowl.

"Fine!" she huffed, "But it better be good."

It wasn't good. It was fabulous.

"Holy shit," she said after the first episode, "Buffy is so cool! I didn't think you would watch a show where the hero is a girl!" He smiled at her.

"I'm not a complete chauvinist," he told her pointedly, "The cool thing about this show is that it roots for the underdog. Willow and Xander are both geeks, the lowest on the high school social ladder, but they end up being the heroes."

"That's true," Ino said thoughtfully, "Like how Cordelia is a cheerleader and is a total bitch- Oh." She looked over at Shikamaru, who was watching her cautiously, like he was afraid she was going to blow up.

"Buffy used to be a cheerleader," he said softly, "But she quit when she found out she had more important things to do. Maybe you have more important things, too?" Ino smiled.

"Yeah," she said, "I think you're right. But next time you can just tell me that, instead of making me figure out the moral meaning of a TV show all by myself, mkay?" He smiled, relieved. "Now we are watching the rest of this season. Right now. Turn on the next episode."

They didn't finish the season that night. But next Saturday Shikamaru came over again, with pizza and Chouji in tow, ready to dive into another night of vampire slayage. It became a tradition of sorts, and they never missed a Saturday.

That is, until recently. She hadn't heard from Shikamaru in two months and was past the point of being worried.

No. Ino was just pissed off. The next time she saw Shikamaru, she would show him what a real vampire slayer could do.

Not that she'd actually ever been in a real fight with a vampire, except for Itachi; but she had been the one to stake him, so she figured that it counted.

* * *

When Ino was upset, she baked. It was an odd and rather fattening hobby, but she soon learned that it would be better for her figure just to give the food away instead of eating it for herself. So that morning, after she had baked two batches of chocolate chip cookies and some beautifully decorated cupcakes, she put them all in Tupperware cases and set off to pass out the deliciousness among her friends.

"Except for Shikamaru and Chouji," she muttered darkly, "I would poison theirs with arsenic."

Naruto was thrilled, especially for the cupcakes, but Hinata and Sasuke were a little more subdued. Ino frowned as she set the food down on the kitchen counter. What could be wrong?

"Well, I've got to go!" she chirped, smiling at Hinata, "Oh, and your phone looked like it was disconnected." Hinata's eyes widened, and she forced a pained smile on her face.

"Yeah, I know," she said softly, "We're, um, getting a new one." She was obviously lying, but Ino didn't push it. She figured it must be for a good reason.

"Don't stay out to late tonight, Ino," Sasuke warned her before she left, "Go home before it gets dark." She frowned, but waved goodbye jauntily.

_They were all in a weird mood today_, she thought, _What's eating them?_

* * *

_  
_

Her parent's house was in the suburbs of Konoha. It always felt strange, coming back to the place she grew up after living on her own for so long. It was almost nostalgic; she would stare out the window of the taxi and think, "Oh, there's where I broke my arm in the fourth grade. There's the park where I first met Sakura. There's the local pool, where Shikamaru once pushed me off the high dive…"

She abruptly stopped that train of thought.

Her childhood home was a comfortable two-story, with a big tree in the front yard and beautiful flowers almost overflowing from the flowerbeds. She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of them.

"Hello?" she called as she opened the door, "I'm hoooome!" Nobody answered, but she heard raucous laughter coming from the kitchen. "Daddy, is that you?"

She heard him swear underneath his breath. "Ah, Ino, hold on a sec!" Curious, and never one to follow orders, she walked into the kitchen. She froze.

Sitting at her kitchen table was none other than Nara Shikaku.

She whirled to glare at her father. "What the _hell__?!"_ she hissed at him, her eyes bright with undisguised anger, "What is he doing here?" Her father sighed.

"Ino," he said nervously, "You know very well that Shikaku and I were friends long before you and Shikamaru were born. Just because you're having a little tiff right now-"

"Tiff?!" she yelled, "This is not a tiff! This is Shikamaru being an asshole and completely ditching me, that's what it is! I can't believe you!" She felt the tears begin to build up in her eyes and almost cursed. She didn't want to seem weak- didn't want to seem like she missed him.

Even though she totally did.

"Ino…" Shikaku said, "Look, I know it doesn't make much sense, but my son has his reasons. You have to respect that." Ino snorted.

"I know a boy," she said hollowly, "A boy who almost died trying to help his friend. After meeting him, I learned something." She met his eyes defiantly. "There is no good reason for abandoning a friend. Ever."

The two men were silent. Inoichi stared at his daughter like he'd never seen her before. "Sweetie…" he started to say, but she shook her head.

"Save it," she said wearily. She set her container of cookies on the counter, glaring half-heartedly at Shikaku. "You'd better not give any of these to that creature you spawned."

He almost looked amused. "You have my word," he said gallantly, and he looked so much like Shikamaru that it made her want to crawl into her bed and never leave the safety of her comforter.

But she had a better idea.

"I need to punch something," she muttered, and she walked out the backdoor to stand on the porch, where her father had set up a punching bag. She took a deep breath and tried to focus her chakra, like Sasuke and Naruto had taught her. She pictured Shikamaru's face. And then she punched.

The cloth around the punching bag ripped and sent grains of sand falling to the ground. Ino smirked, satisfied that she had achieved her objective, then walked back inside.

"You need a new punching bag, Daddy," she said lightly, "I broke yours." Then she left, smiling with a grim satisfaction when she heard her father swear and Shikaku break out into incredulous laughter.

"That's it," she muttered, "I think it's time to pay my old friend a little visit."

* * *

"Chouji!" she yelled, knocking loudly, "Open the door! Chouji!"

"Go away, Ino!" he answered, "Shikamaru's not here. And even if he were, I wouldn't let you in to maul him. I have loyalty." She rolled her eyes.

"I have cupcakes, Chouji," she said. He was silent. A moment later, the door opened.

"Are they chocolate?" he asked eagerly, opening the door for her fully when she nodded, "Yum. You always did make the best cupcakes." Ino grinned, handing him the container. He set it on their coffee table with ill-concealed glee.

"So," Ino said, sitting delicately on their couch, "I have a proposition for you." He raised an eyebrow.

"Really," he said, "Do tell." She smirked.

"Well, you tell me what Shikamaru's deal is," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "And I will personally bake you a cake every Saturday."

He looked tempted. Very tempted. But at the last moment he shook his head in a reluctant no.

"Damn it!" Ino cursed, "Why does Shikamaru have to have such loyal friends?" Chouji chuckled, causing her to frown. "What's so funny?"

"Well," he said, smiling at her knowingly, "You're one of those loyal friends. You keep on chasing him even though he's being a total ass."

She stared at him, suddenly unsure. "Well, uh," she coughed slightly, "You guys all keep telling me he has his reasons. He does, right?" Chouji nodded.

"Yeah," he said softly, "And what he's doing to you… believe me. You're not the only one who's upset." Ino froze.

"I've… I've got to go," she said, getting up hurriedly, "Thanks for the chat. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes." She ran out of the apartment and away from Chouji, but she could sense his eyes following her until the elevator doors shut. She leaned weakly against the wall and covered her face with her hands.

Chouji had always been more observant and shrewd than they gave him credit for. But Ino didn't want to believe what she read in his eyes.

It just got her hopes up.

* * *

The sun was just setting when Ino walked out onto the street. She vaguely remembered Sasuke's warning about getting home before dark, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She wanted to be reckless. She wanted to do something stupid.

She wanted to get into a fight. And she knew just the place to go.

Ever since they had discovered the existence of vampires Ino and Sakura had taken to always keeping a wooden stake and holy water in their purses. "Just in case we get kidnapped by the vampire equivalent of a mob boss again," Sakura had said wryly.

Right now, Ino was glad for their paranoia. She pulled her stake out of her purse and stared at the wrought iron fence that stood imposingly in front of her. Konoha Cemetery.

Surprisingly, it wasn't locked. Good, Ino thought, That means I won't have to hop the fence. She fought back a chill as she walked into the cemetery.

"Eww, dead people," she muttered, then almost laughed out loud. That was kind of what she was looking for, after all. Vampires were technically dead.

She walked through the rows of tombstones, her stake concealed in her sleeve and her hands shoved in her pockets. She tried to seem as innocent as possible, humming nonsense tunes and walking with purposefully loud steps. She was glad she wore her hair down today; it made her seem more vulnerable. Now all she had to do was wait…

It didn't take long. She heard a chuckle from behind her, and turned around to see a man with a pallid complexion grinning at her. "Hello," he said, "Are you lost?" Ino nodded pathetically, blinking as if she had tears in her eyes.

"Yes!" she sniffled, "I was just putting flowers on my grandparent's grave and I got terribly lost! It's scary being in a graveyard at night… You never know what might be hanging around." She giggled nervously. "Oh, silly me. I'm superstitious."

He laughed, a wicked smile alighting on his face. "It's alright," he said, walking closer. She noticed that he was staring hungrily at her exposed neck. "I'll help you." His teeth gleamed, and he lunged.

Luckily, Ino was prepared. "Help me suffer from extreme blood loss?" she asked sarcastically, leaping out of the way, "I don't _think_ so!" She focused chakra into her leg and kicked him viciously, grinning when he doubled over with a moan.

"You little bitch!" he growled, "You don't know what you're messing with!" She laughed.

"Um, yeah I do," she said, pulling out her stake, "That's kinda the point." He leaped at her again, managing to land a blow on her chest that had her flying backwards. Her years of gymnastics kicked in and she twisted in the air, landing in a crouch that allowed her to propel herself forward and ram her fist into his gut. He collapsed to the ground and she staked him, sighing in relief when he disappeared into a pile of dust.

"Well I feel better," she started to say, but something barreled into her, causing her to screech with indignation and collapse to the ground. She dragged him with her, trying to simultaneously fight him off and get the bottle of holy water from her pocket.

She managed to smack him painfully on the face, which distracted him long enough for her to roll on top of him. She retrieved the holy water quickly and dumped it over his head.

"Hah!" she said triumphantly, "Take that, vampire scum!" She paused, waiting for the telltale screaming and smoke and facial disintegration that would come from dumping holy water on a vampire's face. Nothing happened; he just sputtered a bit. She squinted at him. "Why aren't you writhing in agony?"

"Because I'm not a vampire, you psycho crazy bitch," he muttered, "I thought _you_ were the vampire." His voice was strangely familiar, she thought.

A streetlight suddenly came on, filling the cemetery with artificial light. Ino blinked at the sudden brightness, but the boy she was currently sitting on gasped. "Ino?!" he asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

She frowned. That voice was very, very familiar… She pulled back his hood and stared at him in shock.

"Shikamaru?!"

* * *

**A/N:** Ooooh! And the drama with Shikamaru begins to unfold! This chapter was a lot of fun, I'll admit it. I like writing Ino. Anyways, the next chapter will be in Sakura's point of view, so it will have quite a bit of Sasuke in it. I'll have it up in a few days... A week at most. Either way you won't have to wait too long!

I'm surprised that none of you guessed who the mysterious caller last chapter was. Eh. I guess I didn't leave as many clues as I thought...


	6. Remembrance

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Naruto.

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter for you. This one is in Sakura's point of view, which was a whole bunch of fun. I'm not sure if I characterized Sasuke right... He's kinda tricky. In the manga all he really wants is for Itachi to die, but Itachi is already dead in this fic, so I'm not quite sure what his motivation is. I guess I just need to practice more...

* * *

The next day Sakura walked out of her med class with Tsunade almost completely drained. Between the early classes and late-night study sessions and training with Naruto and Sasuke, she felt her energy was spent, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse in her bed and sleep for the next twenty years.

She sighed sadly. "This is why I need to buy a car," she mumbled as she walked down the steps that connected the building to the street, "So I don't have ride the freaking bus home."

"Sakura!" the girl in question nearly groaned. Ami, a snotty girl who was in her class, ran up to her excitedly, a sneer present on her face. "Did you see him?" she demanded. Sakura frowned.

"See who?" she asked. Ami giggled, a nasally sound that made Sakura cringe.

"Oh, you," she said, shoving Sakura on the shoulder a little harder than what most would consider friendly, "There's a hot guy waiting on the street in front of our building. I just wanted you to watch me while I totally get him to ask me out." She giggled again, flipping her hair out of her face.

"Why would you want me to watch?" Sakura asked, confused. Ami smirked.

"Well, Sakura… All the girls in class know you've been single for such a dreadfully long time," she simpered, a cruel glint in her eye, "I figure that you might need someone to set an example for you on how to flirt properly." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I know how to flirt, Ami," she said between gritted teeth. The girl gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, not sounding sorry at all, "I should've been more sensitive. It must be hard to get a boyfriend with certain… unfortunate features." Her eyes glanced over Sakura's forehead.

Sakura took a deep breath and counted to ten. Tsunade would not be happy if she had to reset Ami's broken nose.

"There he is!" the girl squealed excitedly. Sakura glanced over in the direction the she indicated to see a man sitting astride an idle motorcycle. He was wearing a helmet (Sakura sighed dreamily. She loved a man who put his safety first.) so they couldn't see his face, but he was wearing a tight black T-shirt that showed off some particularly impressive muscles. As she watched something seemed to grab his attention, so he swung off his bike, his shirt riding up slightly to reveal taut pale skin. Sakura's mouth ran dry.

"He's coming this way!" Ami gasped, straightening her clothes, "Watch and learn, Sakura. I'll have him begging for me within five minutes." Sakura fought back a wave of unreasonable jealousy. _I don't even know this guy_, she thought, _I shouldn't be feeling like this._

But as she watched the man walk closer, his slow, self-assured strides making her stomach do some rather impressive flips, she realized she was jealous. It was silly and irrational and completely idiotic, but she was. Not really of Ami, and not really because of the motorcycle guy. No, she was envious of all the beautiful girls in the world who would end up with Mr. Perfect, the stereotypical gorgeous guy that an average girl like her would never have a shot with.

_The real world's a bitch,_ she thought unhappily as the boy stopped in front of them. She gulped. Oh my, his muscles were so much better up close….

"Hello," Ami purred in what she probably thought was a sensual manner, "I don't think I've seen you around here before." Sakura bit back a laugh. That was her pick-up line?

Ami nattered on about something or the other for a few minutes, the shrill quality of her voice giving Sakura a headache. She couldn't tell if her attempt at flirting was actually working; the boy was still wearing his helmet, though Sakura thought his body language was getting increasingly agitated.

"Anyways," Ami finally said, "Would you like to grab some coffee? There's this nice café just a few blocks away." She fluttered her eyelashes. Sakura gagged.

"Actually," the man said in a low and shockingly familiar voice, "I'm here to pick up Sakura." He took off his helmet.

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped. His hair was messier than usual, mussed from the helmet and damp with sweat, but he was smirking at her, his eyes bright with hidden amusement. Sakura saw Ami's jaw drop out of the corner of her eye, and wondered what surprised the girl more; finding out just how amazingly attractive Sasuke really was, or that he was here for Sakura. "I didn't know you had a motorcycle," she said accusingly. He shrugged.

"Let's go," he said gruffly, ignoring Ami completely and walking towards his bike. Sakura turned to smile sweetly at the girl, who was still gaping at her.

"I'm glad we had this little chat, Ami," Sakura said with a wide grin, "It was fun. Let's do it again sometime!" She bounded after Sasuke and stood by the motorcycle uncertainly until he rolled his eyes. His put his helmet on her head with a surprising gentleness.

"Just get on," he said, and she obliged, wrapping her arms around his middle loosely. He glanced back at her. "You're going to have to hold on tighter than that." She tightened her grip slightly.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, and then they took off. Sakura screamed and grabbed onto him for dear life, her fingers clutching the front of his shirt until it bunched up in her hands. She felt rather than heard him laugh, his chuckles sending vibrations through his body that almost distracted her from the raging wind and the buildings that seemed to blur together as they passed them at an alarming speed. So Sakura closed her eyes and held him tighter, relishing this opportunity to be close to him. After all, it might be one of the only chances she got.

_Okay, maybe motorcycle rides aren't so bad,_ she thought, smiling beneath his helmet, _But only if they're with Sasuke._

* * *

_  
_

The ride was over much too soon. Sakura felt the bike begin to slow and finally roll to a stop. She opened her eyes and frowned.

"This isn't my apartment," she said, confused. They were parked in what looked like an old, abandoned neighborhood, the windows of the houses boarded up and thick padlocks on all the doors. The house they were in front of was the largest of all. There was a large oak tree in the middle of an overgrown lawn with a tire swing attached to one of the lower branches, and the cheery blue paint that covered the doors and shutters was cracked and peeling. Everything exuded an aura of a terrible sadness, and betrayal, and suddenly Sakura realized where they were.

"This is the Uchiha compound," Sasuke said softly, confirming her thoughts. He stared at the house with a faraway expression for a moment and turned to look at her. His eyebrow rose. "You can take the helmet off now, you know."

Sakura blushed and thanked God that her face was covered. "Um, I don't really want to," she said lightly, clambering off the motorcycle, "It's rather comfortable. I think I'll leave it on." Sasuke stared at her incredulously.

"Sakura, it's almost ninety degrees outside today," he said, following her, "You have to be dying in that thing. Just take it off." She drooped.

"Fine," she said grumpily. She yanked off the helmet and turned around to give it to him. He stared at her with wide eyes, the corners of his lips twitching furiously, like he was fighting back a smile.

"Go ahead," she said with exasperation, "Just say it!"

He finally smiled, like he couldn't fight it anymore. "You look like a lion," he said, "A pink lion." She frowned.

"Shut up," she said half-heartedly, trying to smooth down her wild hair with her hands, "Just because you still look like a supermodel with helmet hair doesn't mean the rest of us do." His eyebrows rose but he said nothing, just watched her comb through her hair with her fingers. "There!" she finally said, "Does that look better?"

He regarded her with dark eyes, and she wondered if it was appropriate to be joking around like this at the place that his family had been murdered. But then he reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear carefully. Her heart stopped in her chest and then sped up again quickly, beating almost twice as fast as it normally did.

"You missed a piece," he said finally. Sakura gulped.

"Thank you," she said, turning away from him quickly to hide her red face. She tripped over her own feet but managed not to fall. "So, why did you bring me here, anyways?"

Sasuke stared at her with an unreadable expression. "I wanted to look for some things," he said after a moment, "I thought maybe you could help me out." She turned and met his gaze, reading quickly what his eyes said but his words and expression didn't. _I don't want to go in there alone._

"Of course," she said softly. He nodded at her quickly but his shoulders seemed to sag in relief. She gave the house a once-over, looking at the boarded up windows and the lock on the door. She frowned.

"How are we supposed to get in?" she asked. To her immense surprise, he smirked. He looked up and she followed his gaze, spotting one window in what had to be the attic that was covered with just a thin sheet of glass. Sakura felt a wave of horror wash over her.

"No," she said sternly, shaking her finger at Sasuke like he was a particularly irksome pet, "Seriously, no. I won't."

But Sasuke's smirk just widened and he grabbed her hand, pulling her gently towards the tree. Sakura melted immediately and she dimly wondered if he realized that he could get her to do anything that he wanted with a simple touch. She sighed, resigned.

"Fine," she grumbled, trying not to notice how impossibly high the tree was, "But if I fall, I'm going to kill you with my bare hands. I know how to now, you know." He chuckled lightly.

"I won't let you fall," he promised, hoisting himself up onto the first branch and pulling her up with him. He met her eyes with an unshakable confidence. "Don't worry."

He didn't let go of her hand.

* * *

Tree climbing really wasn't that scary, Sakura mused twenty minutes later as she scrambled through the window with Sasuke's help. Sure, her body ached and her arms and legs were scratched from the branches, and her hands were chafed and reddened from clutching the rough bark, but the whole experience wasn't entirely unpleasant. She hadn't died.

_It__'s sad when that's the only positive thing I can think of,_ Sakura thought with a grimace.

Sasuke climbed through the window after her, vaulting from the branch onto the windowsill with the grace of some large jungle cat. He stepped onto the floor lightly, looking around the room with a dark expression. The attic was obviously used for storage; Sakura could see a Christmas tree shoved in one corner and a bunch of cardboard boxes pilled up against the wall. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. She wiped her hand on one, and was surprised to see that it was marked with writing. "Itachi's Toys," it said in sharpie, the writing in a graceful and feminine hand. Sakura pulled away quickly.

"Let's go," Sasuke said, his usually soft voice echoing in the still room, "I don't need anything up here." He stalked away quickly, his footsteps almost silent on the wooden floor. Sakura followed.

There were stairs leading from the attic to the second floor hallway. The creaked with every movement Sakura made as she fumbled around, trying to feel her way through the darkness without falling. "Sorry," she heard Sasuke say, and felt his hand on her shoulder, steadying her, "The power's been off for a long time. No one was around to pay the electricity bills."

The hallway was a little brighter, light shining in patches through the boarded windows. Sasuke paused for a moment before walking into one of the rooms.

It was very neat, Sakura decided, still managing to look clean despite the caking of dust. There was a bed with a gray comforter and a desk in the corner, but no posters on the wall or anything else to really tell her about the person who had lived in the room. But then a glint caught her eye and she saw the picture frame lying broken on the desk, the glass in shattered pieces over the photo. She picked up the picture carefully.

Sasuke and Naruto were sitting at a table, engaged in what was obviously a particularly vicious arm wrestling match. Naruto's face was red and his eyes squinted in concentration, but Sasuke's expression was calm and calculated. Sakura wouldn't have been surprised if he was they type who would kick his opponent under the table to distract them. Two women were in the background cheering, one with bright red hair and a wide grin and the other with the same dark hair and eyes as Sasuke. Sakura felt the tears begin to build up in her eyes.

The two boys couldn't have been older than fifteen in the picture.

Sasuke glanced up at her. He was pulling out a trunk from underneath his bed, the wood dark and discolored from age, but he stopped when he saw her.

"Is this your mom?" she asked, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. He nodded slowly. "She's very pretty- they both are. You look just like her."

Sasuke stood up slowly, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Yeah," he said quietly, "That's Naruto's mom, Kushina. We were spending the day at their house. His dad took the picture." His eyes seemed far away as he looked at the picture over her shoulder. Sakura wondered what he was remembering.

"What happened to Naruto's parents?" she asked. Sasuke frowned.

"I don't really know," he admitted, taking the picture from her gently, "Minato died a little after we turned sixteen," he averted his gaze, and Sakura realized he knew more than he was letting on, "Kushina was still alive when… when it happened. With my family. But I don't think she is now."

"Naruto didn't say anything?" she asked, surprised. Sasuke nodded. "I guess that makes sense," she conceded, "It probably isn't something he wants to talk about." She looked over at the trunk. "Is that what you needed to get?"

"Aah," he said, "It's some of my old gear. I figured we might need it if you and Ino are serious about learning how to defend yourself." He paused suddenly. "I'll be right back."

He left the room quickly, leaving Sakura alone in the dark with nothing but a picture and a roomful of dust. She looked at the picture sadly, wondering where Itachi and Sasuke's father had been when it was taken. Had they been at Naruto's house too, just out of frame? Or had they been somewhere else entirely? Sakura wasn't sure.

Sasuke finally came back, a small wooden box in his hand. "I don't really need it," he said wryly, handing the box over to Sakura, "But I figured you could take it, if you want." Confused, Sakura opened the box. She gasped. It was a jewelry box, necklaces and bracelets and earrings organized in little compartments. Everything was utterly beautiful, and Sakura had the feeling that, unlike the costume jewelry she had taken to wearing, all the gems and diamonds were real.

"Sasuke!" she said in horror, "I cannot take your mother's jewelry!" Sasuke blinked, confused. She sighed. "I just don't think it's right, you know? It would be weird to wear someone else's jewelry when I didn't even know her."

"But you already are," Sasuke said, pointing at her neck. She was wearing the crucifix he had given her the night they met, the burnished silver glimmering in the dim light. "And besides," he added, "You know me. I'm her son, and I want you to have it."

All the arguments died on her tongue, and she held the box in her hand with watery eyes. "Okay," she said in a small voice, "Thank you." He nodded, satisfied, and picked up the trunk and walked out of the room. She stayed immobile in the room, tears leaking out of her eyes. She slid the photo into the jewelry box silently, looking at Sasuke's young face one last time before closing the lid.

"Sakura," he said, poking his head back in the room. He sounded annoyed. "Are you coming?" She smiled at him brightly.

"Yes!" she said, wiping the tears away surreptitiously, "I'm right behind you."

_You need someone to watch your back,_ she thought with a growing determination, _So I will. For as long as I possibly can._

* * *

**A/N: **Whew! This one was a lot harder to start than the other chapters. Ino's was surprisingly easy, but I just couldn't get into the Sakura groove. It got better as I wrote, though, and I actually managed to make it a bit longer than my other chapters. I hope all the Sasuke/Sakura fluff was enough to make up for the slight delay.

The next chapter will be in Hinata's point of view, and I already have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. Naruto will be in it (obviously), and there will be a certain guest appearance... Anyone want to take any guesses on who it will be??

Please review!


	7. Hinachan in Ramenland

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, there would be an epic ninja versus pirate storyline that spans about fifty chapters. Jack Sparrow would make an appearance. So would Blue Beard. Sadly, I don't own Naruto.

Here's the Hinata chapter! I know a lot of you were waiting for it. There's not a lot of action in this one (sorry, sorry!) but it's probably the fluffiest thing I've ever written. Ever. Oh, and I've realized that the majority of my chapters are mostly dialogue, so I'll try to start adding more description and introspection and stuff. But I really do like dialogue...

* * *

Hinata had learned a few things about Naruto in the few weeks that he and Sasuke had been living with her. She knew he liked tea almost as much as ramen but would only drink it if someone else would make it. She knew that he had a bad (_glorious, wonderful_) habit of walking around her apartment shirtless after he'd had a shower or exercised. She knew he'd do just about anything for his friends.

But she didn't know the important things, like who his parents were, or where he had grown up. She didn't know why he had a tattoo that seemed to come and go at will, or why his eyes sometimes seemed to glow in the dark. There were all these mysteries that seemed to surround her blonde tenant, and the more she was with him the more she ached to know. She wanted to understand everything about him.

Hinata sighed over her tea, blowing on it carefully before taking a sip. Ino was right; she really was hopeless.

Sasuke had left earlier in the day to pick up Sakura from school, mentioning in his offhand way that they wouldn't be home until later that night. Ino hadn't been answering her phone, which worried Hinata a little, but then she had gotten a text from her saying that she would be busy for the rest of the day. That left her and Naruto…. All alone.

Hinata shivered.

He had run off to go buy some food for dinner; he had recently discovered a ramen stand a little down the street from Hinata's apartment and couldn't get enough of it. "It's like eating a little piece of heaven!" he had said excitedly, waving his chopsticks wildly in the air. Sasuke had snorted and Ino had rolled her eyes, but Hinata kind of agreed.

It was very good ramen.

A pounding at her door interrupted her thoughts. Hinata smiled and walked to her door. "Naruto, did you forget your key again?" she teased slightly, "I could've sworn I told you to take it…" she stopped talking and froze. "You're not Naruto," she finally said.

The man standing in her doorway chuckled lightly, running a hand through his wild white hair. "No, I'm not," he agreed, regarding her in a way that made her a little uncomfortable. She wished she had left her heavy jacket on; maybe that would have prevented his eyes from lingering in awkward places.

"W-who are you, then?" Hinata finally asked, watching him warily.

"I'm his godfather," he said. His eyes narrowed as he watched her, and it seemed like now he was judging her more for her mettle than for her body, "I think it's about time I meet the girl Naruto's been playing house with." He grinned at her viciously.

Hinata gulped. He pushed past her and walked into the apartment, taking everything in with shrewd eyes. He stopped to study the pictures she had framed on her wall, his eyes raking over snapshots of Ino and Sakura and Neji and Hanabi, paying special attention to her latest photo, which featured her two roommates. He frowned.

"So you're a Hyuuga, then?" he asked. The question startled her, and she floundered for the right response.

"Um… Yes. Sort of. N-not really, anymore." He raised an eyebrow and she flushed. "My father is the head of the family. I was the heir, but my father didn't think I had it in me to eventually take over the clan…"

"So he replaced you," the man concluded. Hinata nodded.

"Yes. I was kicked out of the clan and my younger sister took my place." Hinata smiled faintly. "She's much more talented than I ever was, though I'm afraid that she's not the perfect daughter she used to be. High school changed her." The man surprised her by chuckling, taking a seat on her couch like he owned the apartment.

"Gotten boy crazy, has she?" he asked with a smirk, "I'd like to see how Hiashi deals with that." Hinata giggled behind her hand. Then she froze.

"You know my father?" He opened his mouth to reply when the front door burst open.

"Hinaaata, I'm home!" Naruto said cheerfully, a wide grin on his face and bags from Ichiraku in his hands. Hinata smiled despite her trepidation concerning her "guest." It was hard not to smile when Naruto was around.

He was like sunshine. She hadn't had much of it growing up, and that made her all the more appreciative of his happy nature now.

"Still addicted to ramen, are you brat?" the man on her couch grunted. Naruto stilled, his blue eyes flickering over to where he sat. He set the take-out bags on the coffee table with a deliberate gentleness. Then he exploded.

"Jiraiya!" he yelled, pointing at his godfather dramatically, "What are you doing here?! I thought I told you I'd meet you at your hotel!" Jiraiya sighed and crossed his arms behind his head.

"I thought I'd drop by and meet your new roommate," he said innocently, "Is it wrong for a man to worry about who his godson is living with?" Naruto paled.

"Hinata!" he yelped, grabbing her by the shoulders, "Oh shit! He didn't molest you or anything, did he?" She flushed heavily.

"N-no!" she squeaked, eyes widening, "Would he normally?" Naruto didn't answer. He just put his arm around her shoulders protectively and glared at his godfather, who smiled at her wolfishly. She shivered and Naruto pulled her closer to his side.

"Listen up Ero-sennin," he said warningly. Hinata choked when she heard the nickname but the man was obviously used to it. "Don't do any of your usual business with Hinata, okay? She's a good person." Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, brat, I'm not going to hit on your girlfriend," Hinata blushed brighter and Naruto sputtered. "Not that I wouldn't want to," he added thoughtfully, "She's a very attractive girl. Curvy. But that's not what I'm here for." Hinata felt Naruto freeze up, his hand balling up into a fist on her shoulder. She put her hand over his unthinkingly and he immediately relaxed, lacing his fingers with hers in casual manner that made her face flush and her heart perform an odd staccato beat.

"Is there anything I can do to stop it?" Naruto asked quietly. Jiraiya frowned and shook his head, his eyes sad.

"No," the man said, "But you've known that since the beginning. It will keep happening, so you might as well resign yourself to it." He stood up and walked over to his godson, clapping a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry so much. Your father knew what he was doing." Naruto nodded stiffly.

Jiraiya hesitated in front of them for a moment. He opened his mouth as if to say something but snapped it shut abruptly, as if thinking better of it. He ran his hand through his hair in an agitated manner as Naruto stared blankly at the ground.

"I'd better get going," Jiraiya said finally. He pulled something out of his pocket and set it on the coffee table. Hinata frowned. It was a little orange book, nothing too out of the ordinary, except for the large "18 and over" sticker on the cover. "That's the latest; hasn't even been published yet. Thought you might want to check it out."

"Thanks," Naruto said distantly. He managed to smile weakly at his godfather. "Hopefully it's better than the last one. It sucked." Jiraiya bristled.

"You are lucky you're too pathetic to beat up right now!" He growled, muttering to himself as he stormed out of the apartment. Naruto exhaled deeply and unlaced his fingers from Hinata's, taking a few steps away from her to collapse on the couch. Her shoulder felt strangely cold without his arm over it. She wondered if holding her like that had felt as good for him as it had for her.

She didn't have time to dwell on that, though. Naruto looked absolutely miserable. He was leaning back on the couch with his arm covering his eyes, both hands clenched into tight fists. It was strange seeing him so defeated; from that first moment they'd met he'd been a bright ray of optimism, giving her hope when she thought she'd never see her friends again. He was one of the strongest, bravest, kindest people she had ever known…

Whatever he was worried about must be very, very serious.

It didn't escape her notice that Naruto and Jiraiya had spoken vaguely, purposefully watching their words as to keep her in the dark. She wondered if it had something to do with his strange tattoo, but pushed that thought aside. She didn't have time to contemplate right now; she needed to help Naruto.

Taking a steadying breath, she walked towards the couch and sat next to him. He didn't seem to be aware of her presence until she scooted closer and set a hesitant hand on his arm. "Naruto?" she whispered, "Are you alright?"

He didn't say anything- shocking for someone who never seemed to be able to shut his mouth- but he did remove his arm from his eyes and wrap it around her shoulders, pulling her towards him so her cheek was pressed against his collarbone. She felt her face flush hotly and knew that he could probably feel the heat against his skin, but she shifted slightly so she could wrap her arms around him. He sat his chin on top of her head.

"I don't really want to talk about it," he said, his voice heartbreakingly small, "But… can you just stay here with me for awhile?" Hinata frowned against his chest.

"Of course," she said, "But, whatever is going on…" she bit her lip, "You know you can trust me, right?"

"I know," he breathed, "I know." He pulled her closer, holding her like she was the only thing that kept his world from falling apart. Hinata snuggled closer, too worried to be embarrassed.

_How bad must something be,_ she thought, _to scare someone like Naruto?_

* * *

_  
_

Hinata woke up to something tickling her nose and hot breath on her neck. She opened her eyes blearily to see a mass of blonde hair obscuring her vision. Sometime during the night she and Naruto must have fallen asleep. They were curled up side by side on the couch, Hinata sprawled half on top of him because of the lack of room. He had an arm wrapped loosely around her waist.

Her face softened as she watched him. He looked so peaceful in sleep- almost like an innocent little boy. He snored lightly, his breath coming out in soft puffs.

Hinata smiled. He really was too cute.

A thought struck her suddenly and she squinted through the dark to see the clock. It was three in the morning, so… Where was Sasuke?

She tried to roll off of Naruto but his grip tightened on her waist in his sleep, making it impossible for her to escape. Not that she'd really want to, she mused lightly, and blushed in response to her thoughts. Hinata did her best to peer around the dark apartment, her eyes finally resting on her coffee table. The ramen was still there, abandoned (a first for Naruto), but taped to it was a piece of white paper.

**Hinata!**

**You both looked rather comfy so we decided not to wake you. Since you're on the couch and Sasuke doesn't feel comfortable crashing in your room he's gonna sleep on my air mattress tonight. I'd say sleep well, but I'm pretty sure you already are!**

**XOXO,**

**Sakura (and Sasuke)**

Hinata smiled faintly and let her head fall back against Naruto's chest. She knew that she should probably extract herself from his grasp and go into her own bed, but she was too comfortable to move and too tired to care. And who knew when she would be able to get this close to him again?

In an uncharacteristically brave move that she would later attribute to sleep deprivation and giddiness inspired from Naruto's presence, she leaned over to kiss his cheek chastely. "Goodnight, Naruto-kun," she whispered, "I know you'll get through whatever is troubling you. I believe in you." Closing her eyes, she snuggled back against him and fell into an easy sleep.

When her breathing slowed and evened out Naruto moved. He opened his eyes and peered at the girl asleep on his chest. He touched his cheek lightly, regarding her with a wondrous expression.

Fast asleep, Hyuuga Hinata didn't see Naruto smile.

* * *

**A/N: **And that's chapter seven!! Whoooo! Now, this one wasn't very action-y or anything, because I kinda suck at writing fight scenes, but that's going to change pretty soon. You might remember that mysterious man who left a message on Hinata's answering machine (Really. Does anyone know who he is yet??). He's going to make an appearance pretty soon, so there will be some action going on.

Next chapter will go back to the multiple points of view. Some interesting stuff will be revealed (yay!).

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I love all the feedback and am very, very grateful. Please continue to review, because it totally raises my self-esteem. Hah. And it makes me write the chapters quicker....


	8. Chapter 8

Well, heeeey! Sorry it's been so crazy long since I've updated. I've been pretty freaking busy. Updates will be a little slower, but I will do my best to get a new chapter out at least once a week. So myeah.

Honestly, I don't really have a set plan on where this is going... The chapters just kind of write themselves. Which is way fun. But I do have a plan, and there will be a lot more action in the next chapter. Well. Maybe. I'm crap at writing fight scenes, so I'm not sure... We'll see.

* * *

Ino knew she probably shouldn't have agreed to go back to Shikamaru's apartment.

First of all, she was mad at him. He had been avoiding her like she was the freaking plague and then just because she happens to meet him at the graveyard in the dead of night and they both happen to be hunting vampires he suddenly wants to be all buddy-buddy again. Yeah, that's not okay.

And she was a little scared. It was funny. She hadn't been afraid at all when she was fighting; she felt almost… empowered, with the adrenaline rushing like wildfire through her veins and the knowledge that hell spawn or not, Vampy was going down. But one glance from Shikamaru and she was a nervous pile of mush.

She should've said no. But she had been fighting to figure out the truth behind his absence, and she sure as hell wasn't going to abandon her quest now, especially when the answer was right in front of her nose.

Curiosity killed the cat, some people said.

Ino had the sinking feeling that they were right.

At first glance, Shikamaru's apartment looked the same as it always had. He was a minimalist, not into clutter like she was, and he didn't save anything that he didn't need. The phrase "sentimental value" didn't really have any meaning to him; if it was useful, it was there. If not, it was garbage.

But he did take special care of the things he did use. Ino's sharp eyes noticed the dust on his shoji board, which was normally spotless from the hours he spent playing. There was a pile of clothes lying in the corner of the room. Both were small things, things that most people wouldn't notice, but Ino did. Something was wrong.

Then there was Shikamaru himself. He looked tired and worn, with dark bags underneath his strangely dull eyes. He didn't even seem to notice when she hopped up onto the kitchen counter, something he'd snapped at her for when life had been different.

She watched him critically. Surprisingly, he didn't look thin or malnourished, like she would've expected. In fact, he looked more muscular than she'd ever seen him, and walked with a surprising grace that almost reminded her of Sasuke.

No, she thought decisively, not really. Sasuke always stood tall, his movements confident and fluid. He knew his strengths and let them show and knew his weaknesses but didn't allow them to hinder him. Shikamaru, on the other hand, reminded her more like a caged animal. Like something that had tasted freedom but had it ripped away, and had become resigned to the fact that he would never be released from his prison again.

"Shika," Ino whispered, watching him collapse into a chair with slumped shoulders and tired eyes, "What happened to you?"

He hesitated, watching her carefully as if contemplating the pros and cons of answering. She stared him down fearlessly, and he sighed, as if knowing that she wouldn't be the one to crack.

He leaned his arms on the kitchen table and leaned his chin on his hands. "Alright," he said finally, "Here's what happened…"

* * *

Sakura decided that she could definitely get used to waking up with Sasuke in her apartment.

She didn't need much sleep to feel refreshed, and was an early riser- both helpful traits for a pre-med student. So she woke up at six o'clock feeling surprisingly cheerful, walked to the kitchen to get her standard cup of coffee, went into the living room to sit on her couch…. And froze.

Sasuke was sprawled out on her air mattress in the middle of the room, shirtless and stunningly beautiful in the way that only he could manage. He stirred slightly as she watched him and she gulped, taking a steadying breath and one last glance before stepping back into the kitchen to pour another mug of coffee.

Her instinct proved right. A few minutes later Sasuke stumbled into the kitchen, yawning hugely behind his hand and blinking at her blearily. She hid a smile behind a sip of coffee. She'd never seem him so tired and confused; it was adorable. It made him seem a little more real.

"'Morning," he mumbled as he grabbed the mug she had set out for him and sank into a chair. He ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair, making it stick up wildly in the sexiest version of bed-head she'd ever seen.

_It really wasn't fair_, she mused mournfully. _How could one person be created with such an amazing mixture of traits? Shouldn't biology try to more evenly distribute the wealth?_

Sasuke yawned again and stretched his arms up above his head, bending his back slightly against his chair. Sakura watched with a rapt fascination as his abdominal muscles shifted underneath his skin.

_I guess it doesn't matter,_ she thought, _All I know is that I want to get a piece of those genes._

"Ino didn't come home last night," Sasuke said suddenly, interrupting her blatant ogling. Sakura frowned lightly.

"She did text me and say she was going to visit her dad," she mused, "Maybe she stayed the night at her parents? She does that sometimes." Sasuke nodded, but his eyes were still troubled.

"Let's call her, just in case," Sasuke suggested. Sakura smiled.

"Sure," she said. Sasuke watched as she dialed Ino's number on her cell phone from memory and tapped her fingers against the table as it rang. Her facial expression changed and he knew Ino answered.

"Hey, Ino," she said, still tapping on the table, "Where'd you stay last night? Your parent's? 'Cause I know you weren't at Hinata's…" Sakura trailed off suddenly, listening. Her green eyes grew wide and her fingers stilled. "You stayed where?!" Sasuke's eyebrows rose as Sakura's mouth opened and closed, trying to process the information. She hung up the phone with a decisive snap and turned to him.

"We are going to pick up Hinata and Naruto," she growled, a scowl on her face and her pink hair sticking up wildly like some broken halo, "Now. Then we are going to Shikamaru's to pick up Ino and possibly kill him. Okay?" Sasuke nodded seriously, trying to hide his smile.

"Yes ma'am," he said dutifully, watching with a growing amusement as she stormed into her room to grab her shoes. He quickly pulled on his shirt and slipped into his sneakers before holding open the front door for her like a gentleman. She smiled at him briefly before putting on her serious face again.

"Alright!" she said, stomping down the hall, "Let's go!" Sasuke followed after her.

He wondered if she realized that she hadn't changed out of her pajamas.

* * *

Hinata was in heaven. Or the closest that she could possibly get to it.

She woke up that morning from the best night's sleep she had ever gotten in her entire life alone on the couch. That troubled her for a moment- then she heard something crash in the kitchen and some loud, inventive swearing that made her blush and smile at the same time. She stood up and peeked her head around the corner to see Naruto glaring at the pan in his hand.

"Need help?" she asked lightly, causing him to jump. He turned around with a sheepish smile.

"I was gonna cook breakfast," he said. He looked uncharacteristically bashful. "But then I remembered the second reason I only eat ramen. It's not only delicious… It's the only thing I can cook." Hinata laughed.

"I'll make breakfast, you make tea," she suggested, gently taking the pan out of his hand. He met her eyes and grinned.

Hinata felt much more comfortable with Naruto now that they had slept together… Well, not "slept" in the carnal sense, of course, but more in the, "Hey, you make an awesome pillow," kind of way. And they had talked, and he had kind of confided in her. About his feelings, anyways- not so much about the situation that inspired them.

She still felt awkward and blushy around him, but now she felt she knew him well enough to at least formulate coherent sentences in his presence. That was enough.

Naruto didn't seem to mind her nervousness around him, either (if he even noticed in the first place). He joked and teased like he always did, if a little more thoughtfully than he did around Sasuke, and a little more intimately than he did with Sakura or Ino. Hinata tried not to read much into it…

But it almost seemed like he was flirting.

She was contemplating how she could attempt flirting back, too see how he would react (she hadn't been in too many romantic situations in her life, so she was at a loss), when the front door opened with a slam and Sakura marched into the kitchen, Sasuke following her like a silent shadow. The girl looked murderous; Sasuke looked amused.

"Ino is at Shikamaru's," she said tersely, "We are going to get her and kick his ass. You in?" Naruto grinned.

"I'm always ready for some ass-kickage," he said cheerfully, "Just let Hinata and I get dressed and we'll be ready to go!" Sakura shook her head.

"No," she said, "This is an emergency! No time to get dressed." Hinata giggled.

"You're just saying that because you forgot to get dressed before you left, aren't you?" Sakura froze.

"Maybe," she said mysteriously, "Now let's go!" She grabbed Sasuke's arm and dragged him into the hallway. He went without complaint, a small smile playing across his face. Naruto turned to look at Hinata when they heard the door slam.

"I think he likes it when she bosses him around," he said, causing her to laugh. His gaze visibly softened and she felt herself flush. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it abruptly. He looked a little lost, and Hinata felt her heart constrict.

"Hey," she said softly, holding out her hand, "Let's go save Ino, okay?" He cracked a smile at her and took her hand, the skin of his palm rough and calloused and completely perfect against her own.

Hinata knew that he had trouble expressing himself with words. That was fine; she wasn't exactly the poster child for verbosity herself. So this- a smile, his hand in hers- was more than enough.

It was heaven.

* * *

The walk to Shikamaru's apartment was tense. They weren't sure what they were going to find; Sakura firmly believed that Ino was going to be a blubbering wreck, and was sure to stuff a bunch of tissues into the pocket of her pajamas before they left. Naruto thought that Ino was… more than fine.

"They probably had sex," he mused, wincing when Sakura smacked him on the back of the head, "Ow! Hey! Think about it, Sakura. Why else would she stay the night at his place? It's only a few minutes away."

"He's been ignoring her for months," she said coldly, "No way is she going to forgive him for that."

"Even if she loves him?" Hinata asked quietly. Everyone looked at her in surprise, causing her to blush lightly. "They have a connection, Sakura. A few months apart isn't going to change that." Sakura snorted and rolled her eyes.

"You make it sound like they're soul mates, or something," she said, shoving her hands into her pockets. Sasuke bumped her lightly with his shoulder.

"What if they are?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers steadily, "What will you do?" Sakura paused to think, trying not to get lost in his eyes. It was impossible not to, of course, but she thought she gave a valiant attempt.

"I'll be happy for them," Sakura decided, "But I'll still kick his butt. Ino might forgive him in this hypothetical situation, but as her future maid of honor I sure as hell won't." She nodded, agreeing with herself.

Sasuke nodded too, and she was sure she wasn't imagining the approving glint in his eyes.

"Will you two hurry up?" Naruto asked impatiently, "We have a damsel to save!"

* * *

"This isn't a bad place," Naruto said as he surveyed their surroundings. Sakura shrugged as she looked around the hallway in confusion. She couldn't remember Shikamaru's apartment number.

"It's average," she said distractedly, "Everything about Shikamaru is average. The only thing special about him is the fact that he can keep up with Ino, even when I can't. But they've known each other their whole lives, so that's not really much of an accomplishment."

"The fact that I'm a certified genius is usually considered to be pretty special," a voice said mildly from behind them. They turned to see Shikamaru standing by the elevator with a box of donuts in one hand and a newspaper in the other. His eyes slid from one person to the other lazily, his demeanor completely relaxed, but Sakura knew he was silently taking them in, memorizing all the little details that could be later used against them. She always felt like she was being judged when he looked at her. She wondered how Ino could stand it.

"Sakura, Hinata," he said, nodding in greeting, "And you must be Naruto and Sasuke."

"Yep," Naruto said, "And you must be the Shikamaru we've heard so much about."

"Nothing good," Sasuke added. Shikamaru's lips quirked.

"Of course," he said with a sigh, "Look, Ino's inside, so we can all talk there. Come on in." He fished his key out of his pocket and opened the door across the hall from the one Sakura had been eyeing. They trailed in behind him.

"Hey guys!" Ino chirped from her place on his couch. Her friends looked at her critically. She wasn't wearing any make-up, which made her look younger than usual. Her eyes were tired and her hair was unbrushed, and she was drowning in the too-large Konoha U sweatshirt and basketball shorts that obviously didn't belong to her. But she looked happy; her eyes were shining and a large grin was on her face. She beamed at Shikamaru, who looked slightly uncomfortable but mostly pleased.

"I guess this means we aren't beating anybody up," Naruto said sadly before collapsing onto the couch next to Ino. The blonde girl rolled her eyes dramatically and swatted him on the shoulder.

"Shikamaru had his reasons, it turns out," she said with a grin. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and she held out her hand demandingly. "Shika," she said, "Donut. Now."

He rolled his eyes and handed her the box. "Okay, Chouji," he teased, a slight smile on his face. It looked a little awkward, a little out of practice, but it was completely genuine. It made Sakura sink into on of Shikamaru's armchairs, her eyes widening in awareness as the realization hit her with the power of a freight train.

"You're in love with her," Sakura said in awe. Ino and Shikamaru froze. "Like, you're really, really in love with her. So why have you been ignoring her? It nearly broke her heart."

Shikamaru gulped, blood rushing to his face. "Well, uh, we haven't talked about the…_love_ stuff," he choked on the word, "But I only ignored her because I thought I was protecting her."

Hinata frowned. "Protecting her from what?" she prodded, trying to redirect the conversation. Ino smiled at her gratefully.

"He was doing the same thing we were," the blonde said, "Slaying vampires." Naruto's eyes widened.

"Seriously?!" he asked excitedly, "No way!" Shikamaru nodded wearily.

"Yes way," he said, "Konoha has always been the home of vampire hunters- something about this place draws in the undead, so hundreds of years ago our ancestors made the village our home base to protect the citizens. But as the vampires diminished, so did the need for the slayers… so my family has been in retirement for years."

Sasuke nodded briskly. "But with the sudden increase in vampires there is a need for more slayers," he said, "So you took the job." There was an odd note of respect in his voice. Shikamaru just shrugged it off.

"Old hunter families are more predisposed to use chakra," he muttered, "And my father was trained, even though he never had to fight. But he's too old to do it now. And he has back problems. So he trained me." Hinata's eyes widened.

"So all this time… You've been fighting vampires, just like us. And you didn't want Ino to get involved or be in danger, so you started to distance yourself…" she smiled lightly, "How ironic."

"I still can't believe that you know about all this," Shikamaru said, turning to Ino, "You never told me why." The blonde girl chuckled.

"Oh, you know. Sakura and I got kidnapped by Akatsuki, Hinata and Naruto came charging in to save us, and Sasuke was a rebel vampire that wanted to kill his brother. The usual stuff."

Shikamaru blinked. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Okay. Tell me from the beginning. Because I swear to God you just said you got kidnapped by fucking _Akatsuki_." Ino smirked and launched into the story, with Hinata chiming in every once and a while to explain her part and Naruto acting out the action sequences. Sakura watched Ino and Shikamaru. They both looked so… so happy. Like everything in the world suddenly made sense and was made brighter.

She shook her head. She'd been so gung-ho about defending her friend… But she had no idea that Shikamaru had been so miserable, too.

She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Sasuke staring down at her, his shadowed eyes questioning her silently. For a moment she was confused- but then it clicked.

"Fine," she said lowly, trying to keep her voice quiet so the others wouldn't hear her, "You and Hinata were right. They're soul mates. True love and all that exists. Happy?"

He didn't say anything.

But his smile, as lightning fast as quicksilver and twice as rare, said he was.

* * *

**A/N: **Whew! Lots of stuff in there. I'm having a lot of fun writing the Sasuke/Sakura bits of the story, a lot more than I expected. Probably because I'm writing him a lot less angsty than he is in the manga.... But that may soon change... Buwahaha. Ahem.

Anyways, I always love reviews, and I think you should totally check out the Final Fantasy 7 story I wrote too, if you're in the mood for fluff. It took me forever, but I'm really proud of it. So review that, too. Until next time!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Yeah, don't own it.

* * *

Sasuke was not used to dreaming.

He never used to remember his dreams when he was young; they were just scattered wisps floating through his mind, too elusive to catch a hold of. And when he was a vampire he never got to sleep at all, so dreams became nothing more than an urban legend, or a fairy tale.

But now…

He dreamed.

All. The. Time.

At first they were just inconsequential: memories of his childhood, or watching a sunset with Sakura, and once even drowning in a giant bowl of ramen. Silly, whimsical things. Harmless. He almost welcomed them- they proved he was alive.

So when he fell asleep the night after they "rescued" Ino from Shikamaru, he expected his unconscious to be plagued by nothing more than the cotton and fluff that he had slowly grown used to.

He was wrong.

It started off innocently enough; he was sitting on a porch with Naruto and Sakura, which made perfect dream-sense even though he lived in an apartment with Hinata and the closest thing they had to a porch was the crumbly windowsill the white-eyed girl tried to grow her herbs on. The sun began to set, and Sakura rested her head on his shoulder.

"This is all so perfect," she said, and his heart began to race. _Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

"Yeah," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, "It really is." _Thumpthump-thump._ It was beating too fast, all of the sudden. Much too fast. He sucked in a deep gust of air, trying to calm himself.

"Sasuke," Sakura asked worriedly, "Are you alright?" He gasped.

"My heart," he said, "It hurts!" _Thumpthump-thump._

_Thumpthumpthumpthump….._

Then nothing.

He clutched his chest in agony, trying to force his heart to start beating again. But it stayed motionless in his chest, like a chunk of stone. He turned to Sakura for help, but it wasn't Sakura anymore. His brother sat next to him on the porch swing, a smirk on his face.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you little brother?" He whispered, "You're living on borrowed time. Remember…" His red eyes narrowed in a sort of vicious satisfaction, "When I will it, your heart will stop. And I refuse to let it start again."

His brother disappeared in the blink of an eye. Sasuke snarled, then felt his fangs pop out of his mouth and began to panic.

"Naruto!" he said, "What are we going to do?!" The blonde smiled at him sadly, tracing the outline of his tattoo through his T-shirt. Sasuke watched in horror as his friend's eyes turned red and his whisker scars grew more prominent.

"There's nothing we can do," Naruto said, his voice lowering to a growl, "**It's hopeless.**" Then a monster stood in Naruto's place and its wild tales were lashing, and Sasuke felt the thirst begin to build up in the back of his throat until it became unbearable…

He woke with a start, choking on a scream as he clutched his heart with both hands. He felt it beating steadily under his palms, the dependable thumps soothing him as he sighed in relief.

"I'm fine," he murmured the words like a mantra, "I'm fine." He turned to see Naruto snoring loudly on the pullout bed next to him, looking more like a monkey with his sprawled out limbs than the monster Sasuke had seen in his nightmare. "He's fine to."

Sasuke put his arm over his eyes, trying to forget the images that had haunted his dreams. But all he saw was a pair of red eyes staring back at him.

_"I'm coming for you,"_ they seemed to say, _"Don't get to comfortable in a life you can never have."_

Sasuke didn't fall back asleep for a very long time.

* * *

Sasuke was gone by the time that Naruto woke up.

"Where'd he go?" he asked Hinata through a yawn. The girl blushed cutely and shrugged, turning her attention to the stove as she scrambled some eggs to hid her red face.

"He said he had something to do and rushed out," she said softly, "He seemed worried about something, but he wouldn't tell me what about." Naruto frowned.

"I don't get him," he said, scratching his head, "He had a really bad nightmare last night, though. I pretended to be asleep when he woke up so he wouldn't be embarrassed by it, since he's such a tough guy. But maybe it his to do with that?" Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Probably," she said worriedly, "I just hope he'll be alright." Naruto smiled at her.

"He'll be fine," he assured her, ruffling her hair. She squeaked. "I mean, he's Sasuke, after all. Nothing can get to him!" Hinata smiled at him shyly, obviously relieved.

Naruto grinned back at her, but inwardly he was concerned.

_'How bad must a nightmare be,'_ he thought, _'to scare someone like Sasuke?'_

_

* * *

  
_

Not so far away, in an old abandoned warehouse with the windows barred tightly from sunlight with well-placed wooden planks, a monster was laughing.

"Everything is falling into place," he said, his voice a breathy hiss, "But we need to start on our end of the bargain. We need to give our associates the boy… and then I get what I want." His yellow eyes became slitted with pleasure. Another man smiled at him.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," he said, "But until then, you need to keep your strength up. Shall we fetch you something to eat?" Orochimaru nodded lazily.

"Yessss," he hissed. His assistant made a swift gesture with his hand; almost immediately, two vampires walked into the room dragging a struggling girl between them.

"She will do," Orochimaru said, standing up slowly. He walked towards the girl with predatory grace, licking his lips as her screams intensified. "Hush, my dear," he soothed, touching her face gently. She shuddered.

"You're rather lucky, you know," he told her as he inched closer to her neck, "Your death is a stepping stone for me to become the most powerful creature in the world. You should feel privileged."

"You're a monster!" the girl snapped, and then gasped as Orochimaru bit down on her neck and began to drain the blood from her veins. Her screams grew hoarse and weak until finally she fell silent, her body collapsing into a lifeless heap onto the floor. Orochimaru stepped back and licked his lips, looking at her body with a hint of disgust.

"Yes," he said, "I suppose I am."

* * *

**A/N: **Wheeeeew!! Geeze guys, I am SOOOO sorry that this chapter took so long. But it is here now, and I hope that everyone enjoys it. This chapter is important because it is the one that really starts to move the plot along (yes, there is a plot!).

So, I lovelovelove reviews. I promise that if I get a ton of reviews I will make sure to update straight away. And if not.... Well. There might be another month-long wait until I update. And we don't want that! :P


	10. Chapter 10

OMG, guys, I am so sorry! Life has been so busy lately, but I should've tried to find time to sit and write. Hopefully it won't be so long again.

But as an apology, I added Tenten to the story, since I know a lot of people have been wanting to see more of her in it. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Sad face.**

* * *

Sakura was worrying.

That wasn't such a rare event, Ino mused as she sat curled up on the couch, watching her pink-haired friend pace back and forth. Sakura was a compulsive worrier, and always had been, but this was… different.

Worse.

As if to verify her thoughts, Sakura suddenly stopped pacing and grabbed one of her huge medical textbooks off of the coffee table and threw it across the room with a violent yell. It hit the wall with a crack and then fell to the floor, it's pages askew and rumpled.

"Feeling better?" Ino asked mildly. Sakura sighed.

"Much," she replied, her smile wry. She moved to sit next to Ino on the couch, putting her head on the blonde's shoulder. Ino stroked her hair comfortingly.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked. Sakura nodded.

"I've just been so… stressed," she said, her voice tight, "I mean, school was hard enough, but suddenly we find out about this whole other world. I mean, vampires? Seriously? Who ever thought that they actually existed?" She laughed, a touch hysterically. "Oh yeah, and we now have superpowers and are waging war against a freaking vampire cult. It's freaking fantastic."

Ino patted Sakura's hair lightly. "Yes, it's all been pretty surreal," she said, understanding lighting up her eyes. She smiled faintly. "But that's not all you've been worried about, is it?"

Sakura stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. Ino laughed.

"Like hell you don't!" she teased. "I may not be a doctor-in-training like you, Forehead, but even I can see that you've got all the symptoms. You're stressed, and moody, exhibiting sudden fits of violence. And," she added, poking Sakura on the shoulder roughly, "You've eaten all of our ice cream! Even the questionable container of Ben and Jerry's that was in the fridge when we moved into the apartment."

Sakura flushed. "It was only a little freezer burned," she muttered.

"You're lovesick," Ino concluded, "Which leads me to think that all is not well in Sasuke-land."

Sakura frowned, running a hand roughly through her hair. It was a gesture she'd picked up from Naruto, Ino noticed, and a habit she also found herself unconsciously doing when she was stressed. She wondered absently if any of their habits had rubbed off on the boys, too; she'd never noticed.

"Something's wrong with him," Sakura finally admitted, "He had just started to, you know… open up. Even flirt, in his stoic way- at least, that's what Naruto told me. But for the past few days he's barely even looked at me. He's actually started to leave when I'm in the same room with him." Sakura sniffed, her eyes welling up with tears. "I don't know what I did!"

"_You_ didn't do anything!" Ino said with surprising viciousness. Sakura leaped in surprise.

"Boys are idiots," Ino muttered, "Look, as different as they seem, all of our boys are cut from the same mold. They're honorable, which is nice, but it also come along with that ridiculous chauvinism. No matter how much we prove ourselves, they're still going to think that we're weak little girls that need to be protected." Sakura frowned.

"I don't understand," she said, her voice quivering. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Think about it, Billboard Brow. Why did Shikamaru stop talking to me?"

"He was trying to protect you," Sakura said, "Ino, I still don't see how this applies to me and Sas- oh." She paused. "Oh!"

Ino smiled, her eyes flashing in the dimming light. "Exactly. Your boytoy is trying to protect you by avoiding you… We just need to figure out why." Her smile widened, and a scheming look crossed her face, the look she always got when she thought of a Bad Idea.

"Alright, girly," Ino said, leaning closer, "Here's what you're going to do…"

* * *

A girl was leaping across the rooftops.

The wind rushed across her face as she ran and jumped, ran and jumped, her feet hitting the ground as silently as a whisper. She was a shadow-girl, a specter.

She was on a mission.

"Don't worry, Lee," she said, the wind stealing the sound from her lips with its wild gusts, "We'll find you. I promise."

Neji didn't want to ask for help. He said they could do it on their own. But Tenten knew that if they wanted to save Lee, they'd need an army.

Or a miracle.

Luckily, she knew where to find both.

It would be worth Neji's anger to save Lee, Tenten thought. She continued her silent journey across the rooftops.

* * *

Hinata was dying.

Figuratively, not literally. At least, she hoped. Maybe she had finally, after so many years of flushed faces and fainting, come to the point where she would actually die of embarrassment.

Of course, it was all Ino's fault.

"I'm kicking you and Naruto out of the apartment tonight," Ino had said when she flounced into the apartment with her spare key, a nervous-looking Sakura trailing behind her. Naruto and Hinata looked at her blankly from their spot on the couch.

"But…" Naruto said, his voice distressed, "We just made popcorn!"

"Gossip Girl is on," she chimed in.

Ino and Sakura stared at them in shock. "You two are so sad," Ino finally said, "I was doing this for Sakura, but I think you need my intervention even more than she does." Naruto glared at her.

"You wouldn't kick us out if Sasuke was here," he grumbled, "He watches it with us too, even if he denies it." Sakura bit her lip.

"Where… where is Sasuke?" she asked. The blonde boy shrugged.

"Beats me," he replied, "He's been wandering off for the last few days, but he always comes back by dinnertime." He looked between the two girls, his blue eyes surprisingly shrewd. "I think you should talk to him, Sakura. Get his head on straight. It'd be best coming from you."

"B-but why?" she asked weakly. Hinata surprised everyone by speaking up.

"He cares about you," she said quietly, a soft smile on her face, "And you care about him. Don't let the hard times scare you away from what you could potentially have."

Everyone stared at her in awe, and Hinata felt herself flush red. Ino laughed and pulled the two girls into a hug, waving Naruto in.

"Hinata's right!" Ino cheered, "Sasuke's pretty much an emotionless robot when it comes to anyone except you, so you're obviously the only one who can figure out what he's upset about. So you're going to ambush him here tonight, looking totally gorgeous I might add, and make him tell you what's going on!" Sakura laughed.

"All right, all right!" she said, pushing them away, "But… what are you two going to do? Just go to Ino's?"

Hinata looked at Naruto questioningly and was surprised to see the range of conflicting emotions flickering across his face. For a moment, he looked at her with a heartbreaking sadness, made so much worse by the resigned expression that took its place a moment later. But then he smiled at her, so bright and happy and Naruto that she figured she had just imagined it.

"Nah, Ino can keep her place tonight," Naruto said, throwing an arm over Hinata's shoulders, "Hinata and I are going on a date!"

Yep, Hinata decided a second later, she was most definitely dying.

But in the best way possible.

* * *

**Okay, there we go! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. In the next one we'll see Ino's plan unfold with the confrontation between Sasuke and Sakura AND Naruto and Hinata's date... with a little bit of Tenten thrown in. I'm also going to try my hand at writing Angsty!Sasuke. Which I kind of hate. So it probably won't turn out the way I want it. But oh wells! Until next time... and please review! **


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Guys... I can't say this enough, but I'm so sorry! My classes kinda got the best of me last semester, but I have no excuse for not writing this earlier. Hopefully next time I can be more punctual about it! I hope you enjoy what I came up with (I tried to make it extra-awesome to make up for the wait... especially the Hinata and Naruto scene).

* * *

Sakura was good at a lot of things. In fact, her general success in life had become something of a running joke to everyone she knew. Someone didn't know the answer to one of the questions Tsunade assigned the previous class? Ask Sakura. A computer suddenly crashed? Sakura could fix it; she's good with computers. Have a jar of peanut butter that even the most muscular man can't open? Sakura will do it with her superhuman strength.

But if there was one thing Sakura was completely awful at, it was preparing for a confrontation.

Ino, however, was fantastic at it.

"The first thing you need to do," Ino said seriously, makeup strewn haphazardly across the bathroom counter, "Is make sure that you look the part."

Sakura scowled. "I don't understand how Goth eyeliner is going to help me talk to Sasuke," she said. Ino rolled her eyes.

"It's badass eyeliner, not Goth eyeliner," she corrected, "You smart kids, you always think you know everything. Yeah, you can plan out a speech about what you're going to say and memorize it perfectly, but you need the right emotion behind it for it to be effective, right?" Sakura nodded.

"Right," she said warily. Ino smiled.

"That's what this is for!" she said, waving her arms wildly, "Sometimes all you need to make yourself feel confident is a makeover. Right now, you want to be the one in charge. You want to draw his attention. And honey, let's face it… your sweats aren't gonna cut it."

Sakura bit her lip. As much as she hated to admit it, Ino knew what she was doing. She also knew that she wouldn't get through what she had planned without Ino's help.

"Fine!" she burst out, "Just… don't make me look like a hooker, okay? I'm trying to work up the courage to talk to him, not seduce him." Ino cackled gleefully.

"Oh, honey," she said, a wicked glint in her eye, "If all goes according to plan, you're gonna do both."

* * *

"Soooo…" Naruto said, scratching his head awkwardly, "What do you wanna do now?"

Hinata hid a smile. They had dinner at the ramen stand Naruto loved, and had spent the time doing wild impersonations of their friends. Well, Naruto had. Hinata had spent the entire time giggling into her bowl of ramen, blushing when he lifted up his shirt (Oh God, she thought, his _abs_) and began to flutter his eyelashes in a caricature of Ino.

"Oh, Shikamaru," he purred in an almost eerie impersonation, "Do you mind if I borrow a shirt? I don't seem to own one that covers my stomach."

It had been fun, Hinata thought. Easy. Naruto was a good date, holding the door open for her and pulling out her chair before she sat down. Someone- she secretly suspected Sasuke- had trained him well. But when they left the restaurant…

He changed.

Naruto began to act… nervous. Jumpy, even. For a wild, terrifying moment she thought there might be vampires in the area and she put her hand on his arm to grab his attention and ask, but he started suddenly, turning red and babbling incoherently. Hinata stared at him, shocked. He was acting like… well…

Her.

"How about we sit down for a little while?" she suggested, pointing to a nearby bench. He nodded, still red-faced and unable to look her in the eye.

They sat in silence. Hinata glanced at him from the corner of her eye, noting his flushed face. Okay, she thought, if I were trying to talk to myself, how would I go about it?

She shook her head suddenly. Way too confusing.

"You okay?" Naruto asked at her sudden movement. Hinata smiled at him, uncharacteristically bright.

If he's going to act like me, she thought a touch mischievously, then I'm going to act like him.

"I'm great!" she chirped, "But Naruto, you're looking a little red. Do you have a fever?" Trying to ignore the way her hand shook, she put it on his forehand, crinkling her forehead in mock thought. "Well, you're not too warm. Maybe you got a sunburn?"

Naruto shot her a look that might have been filthy, if not for his madly twitching lips, and she knew that she had succeeded in breaking the ice. "Very cute, Hinata," he said, reaching up to remove her hand from his forehead. But instead of just brushing it away he held on, intertwining their fingers. Hinata gulped.

"You know," he said, his thumb rubbing slow, deliberate circles on her hand, "I was actually pretty nervous about all this. You seem to have guessed that pretty quickly." He looked at her then, really looked at her, his eyes hot and liquid and Hinata felt her pulse kick up in response. He really had expressive eyes, she mused. They did the most marvelous things to her inside.

"A-ah," she said intelligently, and she inwardly despaired at how easy it was for him to completely knock her off her game, "Yes. I did. Um, you looked, ah, flustered?" Naruto nodded seriously.

"Yeah," he said, "Flustered. See, I haven't had what most people would consider a normal childhood. When most kids my age were dating I was learning how to fight vampires and chasing after Sasuke." He released her hand suddenly. She frowned, despairing in the loss of contact, until his hand started to run up and down her leg. It almost seemed like an absentminded action, but then she saw the glint in his eye and she knew.

He was planning something.

Oh dear.

"Hinata," he said, his voice husky. Her mouth ran dry. "Hinata, you still with me?"

"Y-yes!" she gasped, "Very with you. N-no dating. Blame Sasuke. Got it." He laughed.

"Exactly," he said, "I've always been a little worried about what my first real date, with a girl I care about, would be like, since I really have no fucking clue what I'm doing. But then I remembered some advice my dad gave me, a long time ago." His fingers were playing with the hem of her knee-length skirt now, the one Ino had often criticized for being too long. Right now it felt almost indecently short, with his hand almost-but-not-quite slipping under.

"Uhhhh," she managed to say. She cleared her throat and tried to remember how to properly formulate words. "What advice was that?"

Naruto grinned. It looked positively predatory.

"Always follow your instincts," he said. He kissed her cheek then, and Hinata felt a shock at the sweetness of the action, which was completely at odds with the hand that was slowly working its way higher up her skirt. Then his breath was hot on her ear and she thought, oh. _Oh_.

"And you know what, Hinata? I have _very_ good instincts."

* * *

The apartment was dark when Sasuke got back.

His guard was immediately up. It was rare for Hinata and Naruto to grab dinner with Sakura and Ino when he was off on one of his "walks," but Hinata always left a light on. It was a habit she picked up for her little sister when she was young, she had said, for when she had been afraid of the dark and would often sneak into Hinata's room after a nightmare. Sasuke had understood.

He had been the little sibling, once.

He heard a slight movement from somewhere in the dark and he leaped, tackling the intruder full-force. Instead of some the sort of demonic, snarling creature he had been expecting he was rewarded with a feminine yelp and an armful of something he could only describe as soft.

If there was one thing I miss about being a vampire, he thought wryly, it would be the night vision.

"Dammit, Sasuke!" Sakura snarled from underneath him, "What are you doing?" He got up hastily, pulling her up with one arm and fumbling around for the light switch on the wall.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, I didn't know it was you- what are you wearing?" Despite the bruises she would inevitable have and the tears in her eyes from the sudden light, Sakura smiled. At least something in her plan was going right.

"Oh, this?" she asked offhandedly, "Ino wanted to give me a makeover. See?" She spun around in a circle, letting him see the dark red corset top and tight leather pants Ino had pulled out of her closet. It wasn't one of the girl's usual party outfits; Ino tended to go for shirt skirts and low-cut tops when trying to draw attention. But Sasuke was an unusual boy, former vampirism aside. The usual seduction tactics wouldn't work.

And besides. Sakura wanted the confidence to confront him, not to seduce him. She needed the badass edge, not the sexy one.

"But enough about that," Sakura said, pushing his shoulders to make him sit on the couch. He did with little resistance. She hoped the rest of the conversation would be that easy. "We need to talk."

Sasuke opened his mouth (to agree? Apologize?) when someone crashed through the window, causing glass and pieces of the windowpane to fly across the room. Sasuke and Sakura stared at the girl who lay on the floor, dazed and covered in shallow cuts.

"Sorry," she said, sitting up and shaking glass out of her hair, "Did I interrupt something?" Sakura, still in a state of shock, collapsed on the couch next to Sasuke.

"Tenten," she said weakly, "You always have the worst timing."

* * *

Sooo... what did you guys think? I'm finally starting to move this plotline along (even if you don't think so, I'm sowing the seeds, muwhahaha), but I'd really like feedback on the Naruhina stuff. That was the steamiest thing I'd ever written (and it wasn't even that bad, haha) and if everyone liked it I'll probably end up doing more. A lot of things are going to be explained in the next chapter, like Naruto's sudden... ah, aggressiveness, and why Tenten came crashing through Hinata's window.

Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Um… I really have no words to say that can make up for how long it's been since I've updated. I am SO sorry, you guys. I've just been so busy with school, and then I met a boy, and then I got my heart broken by said boy, and then I spent about three months being horribly sick and was in and out of the hospital. So yeah. I also managed to completely lose my notes on what I was doing with this story, so I'm writing kinda blind here. I have no idea what my original intention was anymore, so we'll just… uh, see how it goes? As always, I do not own any of the characters, and reviews will bring joy to my poor, sickly heart. Thanks for reading!

XxX

When Tenten was eleven she learned how to fly.

Not literally, of course; as much as she wished she had the capabilities to turn into a bird and wing away from her life in the orphanage, she found herself miserably attached to the earth. Something in her yearned for flight, for the wind rushing in her ears. She'd always enjoyed running, but it didn't quite cut it. It wasn't dangerous enough.

"Run in the trees!" Lee said with his usual insanity when she told him of her troubles, "Your flame of youth burns bright, Tenten! With it you can accomplish your wildest dreams!" He stuck his fist dramatically in the air, completely unaware of the curious stares he was eliciting from the other orphans.

"Run in the trees..?" Tenten repeated. It sounded absolutely ridiculous- and deadly- but Lee had that bright look in his eye that she knew would fizzle out if she at least didn't try. She hated to see him unhappy, and she had resigned herself a long time ago to the fact that she would do anything to see him smile. Even if it meant plunging to her death trying to leap from tree to tree. "I'll try, Lee, but it probably won't work!"

It took her twenty minutes to build Lee up into enough of a frenzy that he didn't even notice when she left. She slipped quietly into the woods that bordered the orphanage, his yells of, "Yosh!" and, "fly, my spider monkey!" growing quieter and quieter with every step she took. The quiet, she discovered, was a relief; she felt like she belonged in the forest, as much as the foxes and the rabbits did. Inspired, she began to climb the nearest tree in an almost mechanical fashion, stopping only when she reached the highest branch. _Go big or go home_, she thought, and it was to her credit that she only slightly flinched when she looked down and saw the distance to the ground.

"I can do this," Tenten muttered, "I can do it. Just have to believe in myself." Ignoring the strange tingling she felt in her feet and the nervous rolling in her stomach, Tenten took a deep breath… and leaped.

When she opened her eyes moments later to find herself standing on the branch of another tree nearly twenty feet away, Tenten tried to think of a rational explanation for the phenomena. She misjudged the distance. She was hallucinating. A freak windstorm had kicked up and dropped her onto the faraway tree. There was no way that she could have jumped that far; it just wasn't physically possible. Bracing herself, she jumped again, this time keeping her eyes wide open to see as she sailed gracefully through the leaves and branches, landing the tree branch that she had started out on- which, she was shocked to realize, was indeed twenty feet away.

Tenten stood dumbly on the branch before a wide smile spread across her face. "Holy cheese," she said in awe, "I'm a superhero!"

It wasn't until a year later, when she met Neji on one of her "tree-running" excursions did she discover that she was actually using chakra, a rare feat for someone who had absolutely no training. The young Hyuuga boy quickly took it upon himself to become her teacher (Tenten secretly thought he got a kick out of hearing her call him "sensei," though he would often roll his eyes and deny it), and soon Tenten brought Lee along to their training sessions, hoping that the exercise would help him work off his excess energy and he would begin to act less like a hyperactive puppy and more like a normal human being. Soon the three became fast friends (though again, Neji denied it) despite their differences in class and personality, and they had been ever since.

Growing up without a family made Tenten particularly protective of her friends; they were all she had. She would sacrifice anything- blood, money, sanity- to protect them. So when she found herself leaping from building to building, her chakra dangerously low and the world beginning to swim in front of her eyes, she felt no hesitation when she finally found Hinata's window. She leaped through it, barely remembering to close her eyes and cover her face, only absently noting the stinging pain that accompanied the shattered glass digging into her skin. She heard a feminine gasp and opened her eyes to see Sakura standing in front of Sasuke on the couch, wearing dangerous stilettos and a corset that left nothing to the imagination. Sasuke's eye was twitching the way Neji's sometimes did when he was in a bad mood. _Oops_, Tenten thought, _Sasuke was probably finally going to lose his virginity. _She wanted to giggle at the thought, but another wave of dizziness hit her.

She had to tell them about Lee. They could save him.

"Sorry," she said, attempting to get up, "Did I interrupt something?" Sakura collapsed on the couch and started to respond, but Tenten didn't hear what she said.

She was already passed out on the floor.

XxX

Hinata, being from an old-fashioned family, had been taught certain things about what to expect when she went on a date. She had been given many a lecture on the subject, in fact, by her great-aunt Keiko, who Hinata had always secretly thought was a terrible choice in a teacher, given the fact that she had never been married and had sworn herself to a life of chastity at a young age.

"Always have a chaperone," Keiko had croaked, "Preferably a brother or male cousin. One who will have no qualms about cutting off a man's genitals if he attempts to touch you. After all, you know how men only want one thing!" Hinata, who had been eight at the time and still believed in Santa and the Easter Bunny, had absolutely no idea what great-aunt Keiko had been talking about, but she nodded sagely anyways.

"The boy must also be pre-approved by the Hyuuga family, in order to keep the bloodline pure," Keiko said, "And Hinata, remember you are a Hyuuga. It is scandalous to hold hands with your fiancé in this family. Please, for the love of God, don't have sex."

"What's sex?" Hinata asked curiously. Keiko, finally realizing the age of her young charge, froze.

"Its… something very painful," she finally said, "Horrifying, really. If you have it before you're married a… monster will come and eat you. So don't have sex. Ever." And with that she left, leaving a trembling Hinata in her wake.

Of course, Hinata was now an adult, fully aware that she would _not _be rated by a monster if she engaged in pre-marital sex (of course, it had taken her a shot of vodka and a rather terrifying Google search to make this discovery). And, as the disgraced heir, she wasn't even a true member of the Hyuuga family anymore.

Still, she wondered just how horrified her family would be if she knew that she was shamelessly making out with Uzumaki Naruto on a park bench, letting him get to second (_almost third!_ she squeaked) base in a completely public area.

"Crazy great-aunt Keiko would kill me," Hinata giggled as Naruto kissed his way down her neck. He chuckled.

"I don't give a fuck about what crazy great-aunt Keiko thinks," he said huskily. He moved down lower to nibble on her collarbone… then he froze. "Shit," he swore.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked worriedly. Naruto stayed very, very still, straightening up on the bench and slowly pulling his hand out from underneath her shirt (_when did that get there?_ she wondered, blushing).

"Hinata," he said, his voice quiet, "You need to go home. Now. Please. It's not safe for you here anymore." Hinata frowned, wanting to argue, but she saw the pained look on his face and stood up. She had spent all this time trusting Naruto. She wasn't going to stop now.

"A-alright," she said, attempting to stay calm even though her heart was racing, "But please, you stay safe too. I don't know what's going on but it would kill me if you got hurt. I-if you're not back by morning I'm bringing everyone to come look for you." She took a steadying breath and kissed him quickly on the lips, not noticing the way he flinched, as if in pain. "I have a stake with me, so don't worry about vampires. Goodbye!" With that she took off running, towards home.

Naruto watched her until she disappeared, and then ran his hand through his hair with a growl, wincing when he felt the claws on his fingertips painfully drag across his scalp. "It's not vampires you need to worry about," he muttered to himself, though his words were slurred due to the fangs that were slowly growing larger in his mouth, "It's me." He closed his eyes and tried to remember the feeling of her lips against his, of the softness of her skin as his hands ran up and down her body. When he opened his eyes again the pupils were slitted, like a cat's. He looked up at the sky.

"You ruin everything," he muttered.

The full moon had no reply.

XxX

**A/N: **Voila! I had a lot of fun in this chapter going more into Tenten's backstory; hopefully at some point I'll be able to do a flashback scene of her and Neji, because in my head I find their childhood interactions absolutely adorable. Also, great-aunt Keiko is my own creation and she's very slightly based off of a sex-ed teacher I had in high school (with a little bit of the "don't have sex because you'll get pregnant. And die." coach from Mean Girls). A lot of you have guessed- correctly, I might add- what's going on with Naruto, and in the next few chapters we'll finally get more answers on that… but it won't be exactly what you expect. :)

Also, in the next chapter we're going to get a little bit of Lee. Hurray! There's going to be some humor in that, since he's basically the worst captive ever.

Until next time! :


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